Primum Revelation Evangelion
by Kain Tempest
Summary: Shinji and Asuka ride in on the offensive against UNIT, meanwhile, Tristan and Misato find more questions behind their nemesis and the causes for this war. Mankind and Evangelion have been reborn, but what is there to gain in this brave new world?
1. The Jacket

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. All original characters are owned by me.  
  
**Evangelion: Primum Revelation  
**Chapter 1: The Jacket  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"_  
  
The lights were out in the store, but the door was unlocked and the young man entered. The strange feeling of emptiness filled the space and it made the man uneasy, it was far too unnatural. The sound of the door opening behind him and a strained coughing made him turn towards his companion. Sweat was beading on her forehead and she was wiping a bit of drool off of her chin. He looked to her with concern.  
  
"Are you alright?" He asked. She simply glared at him with her one good eye, a blue gas flame of anger veiled in red tresses.  
  
"I'm fine. The food was rotten... That's all." She stepped forward and stumbled in. He approached her and put his hand on her shoulder, she stiffened, and was about to pull away, put the strain from vomiting had sapped her energy. He frowned, looking at her paling face and the stained gauze wrapped around her arm, head, and over her left eye.  
  
"Maybe you should sit down."  
  
"I said I'm fine." She grated. She tried to pull away from him and losing her footing, fell forward with a cry. He caught her before her head touched the floor.  
  
"Asuka, please you need to rest. You're very sick. I don't want you to die. I don't want to be left alone here. Not now." The girl named Asuka pushed herself up and rolled over onto her back to look up at the boy who still had his arms around her. For a long time she just stared at his dark brown hair and blue eyes. It always made her wonder how he could have blue eyes, but also be Japanese. However, another wave of nausea caused her to loose concentration on forming a query.  
  
"Let me go. I'm gonna throw up." The boy immediately did so and helped Asuka onto her side as she began to make dry heaves. He winced as he heard her straining gags and finalizing sound as she spat only a small bit of bile onto the floor. She then curled up into the fetal position, shivering in her skintight red suit. He knelt down to touch her, to feel her face for a fever.  
  
"Don't touch me!" Asuka's cry sounded more like a wail that immediately dissolved in a round of hacking coughs. His hand hovered above her, twitching as he tried to decide what to do. He opted to leave her be. Looking down at Asuka his face contorted into a mask of worry again and he unbuttoned his shirt and laid it over her shoulders like meager blanket.  
  
"Shinji? What're you doing?" Asuka whispered. But even as she asked, she could feel herself almost dive into the warmth of the shirt. Even thought stunk of the ocean, it was warm.  
  
"You stay here, I'm going to try and find something to make you feel better." Shinji turned away to look out at the darkened store. "I'll be back soon." He tried to sound confident, but there was a hint of uncertainty in his voice as he wandered away, straining to hear Asuka's ragged breathing amidst the squeak of his sneakers on the floor. Immediately Shinji started hunting through the grocery section, but in a store this was usually limited to junk food and instant food, something they didn't have the luxury of making.  
  
A lonely box of instant curry sat on the shelf and it brought back memories of Misato. A small smile played upon his face as he began to recall the good days at Tokyo-3. It bothered him to take on so many changes and responsibilities, but Misato was very welcoming, almost a kid herself it would seem. Even though she was about thirty. Or would have been... Shinji bit down on his lower lip, trying to force the tears away. The blood in her mouth when she kissed him, he knew she wasn't going to make it. He shook the emotion away and replaced it was anger, slapping the box away and watching it slid across the floor and down another aisle.  
  
Beginning his search again, he found a six-pack of canned mineral water. It wasn't the elixir of life but it likely wouldn't upset her stomach as much as food did. Shinji mentally kicked himself for trying to force Asuka to eat, even when he knew she was sick. But they needed to eat, they had gone a whole day without food and Shinji was worried that eating wild plants could have made them both sick- Or in Asuka's case, sicker than she already was. But even then, water alone wasn't going to fix things.  
  
Wandering around some more, Shinji's face lit up as he spotted the grinding bowl symbol of a pharmacy. He ran for it, minding not to drop the water. Putting the mineral water onto the counter, Shinji looked over, for no other reason that to see if anyone was there. He didn't understand why, after all, as far as he knew he and Asuka were the only people left alive. A sweater and a lab coat were laid down on the floor, amidst a puddle of golden liquid. He took a sharp intake of breath, even though it was only LCL, the effect would probably have been similar to finding a dead body. However, deep inside, he would have preferred to find a body so that there would have been at least some evidence that this place had once been occupied, the LCL provided no such comfort.  
  
Shinji clamored over the counter and as gingerly as possible, stepped down onto the other side and into the pool of LCL. As he was bringing himself down, his foot lost traction with the floor and the boy clawed at the counter to try and get a grip, only to slam his chin against the counter and fall backwards, taking a small stack of documents with him. He sat up rubbing his chin and grimacing in coming into contact with the greasy LCL, having it cover his naked back and pants wasn't a very enjoyable experience. Out of curiously, he picked up a small bit with his finger gave it a sniff, reeling back in disgust as he realized it did indeed smell like blood. One more moment of the smell and Shinji would be vomiting too.  
  
Getting a firm grip onto the counter, Shinji pulled himself up and managed to keep his balance on the slick surface. Picking his way, he got out of the puddle and looked back at the mess of ruined papers, many lying in the LCL.  
  
"I'm sorry." Shinji whispered dryly to the air, as if the soul of the pharmacist was standing above the puddle. Shinji looked away and towards the shelves of bottles and jugs. It only took a couple of minutes before Shinji realized he didn't understand any of the labels on the containers. Mostly the technical names, he didn't have any understanding of medicine, nor did he have the time to look for some kind of record as to what each drug could do. He began to understand why everyone made such a big deal about non-prescription drugs. Shinji climbed over the counter again and took one more glance at the puddle of LCL before picking up his water and started to look at the numerous products on the other shelves for what he was looking for. Soon Shinji grew impatient and started grabbing things at random that dealt with what he was looking for. Arms full, Shinji realized that he could have had a use for a basket. Sighing, he turned and started making his way back to Asuka.  
  
Coming next to her, Shinji knelt down and put the items he had picked out to one side, he then looked to his companion and lightly shook her shoulder. Asuka jolted awake and then relaxed with a groan.  
  
"Why'd you have to wake me? I was finally asleep." She whined softly.  
  
"I'm sorry." Asuka snorted and Shinji paused for a moment. "I found some medicine, it might make you feel better."  
  
"If it tastes bad, I swear I'll kill you." She murmured as she pushed herself up to sitting position. Shinji helped her up and then cracked open one bottle. He quickly scanned the directions and handed the bottle to Asuka.  
  
"Take two tablets; they should help settle your stomach." Asuka looked blankly down at the bottle in her hands and shook out the amount. She glanced up as she heard Shinji crack open one of the cans of mineral water and handed it to her. Taking a sip, she popped the pills and swallowed, taking a gasp as she chase the tablets with a drink of water. She started coughing again and shivered. Shinji stood up.  
  
"Where are you going?"  
  
"To get some blankets, you look like you're freezing." Again Shinji wandered away for a few minutes before returning with some towels and a large plastic bag with a comforter in it. By this time Asuka had opened the cough syrup and taken a couple of swigs and finished the water. Although she still looked like Hell, she seemed more relaxed now at least.  
  
"We should get going soon." Asuka stated. Shinji glanced at the clock suspended over the front door. It was seven o'clock in the evening. He shook his head.  
  
"It's going to be dark soon. We'll be safer in here."  
  
"Safe from what?" Shinji paused, thinking of an answer.  
  
"I don't know, but I think we'd be better off inside than out." A weak yet crooked smile played on Asuka's face.  
  
"Are you afraid of the dark?"  
  
"What? No! Of course not!" Asuka sighed, her need to fluster the boy quickly fading. She looked out the glass of the door and the slowly fading light of the day. While Asuka drifted into her silent, moodier self, Shinji picked up one the towels and began drying off the yellow gunk. Asuka noticed it in the corner of her eye and glanced up to see what it was up to.  
  
"What the Hell did you slip in?"  
  
"It's LCL... I think. There's a puddle of it behind the counter." Asuka stuck her tongue out in disgust. He noticed. "Sorry." Again she just glared at him for a second. Sighing she laid herself down on her back and stared up and the ceiling. The pills were beginning to kick in and her stomach was beginning to settle, after at least two days she finally had some relief.  
  
Asuka wiped her forehead with her right arm, and paused to look at the bandaged appendage. Raising her arm and opening her palm to the ceiling, she moved her fingers, noticing that she was having difficult moving her middle and ring fingers, somehow becoming semi-paralyzed. She recalled removing some of the bandaging the day before to finder a deep red scar running from the middle of the hand, between the two fingers, to her elbow. For the sake of vanity, she hoped the redness would fade. She began to try and remember why it was that her arm was so sore and her left eye hurt so much when she was greeted with another round of hacking coughs.  
  
"Damn this cough." Asuka growled as she laid her head back down on the tile floor. Inwardly every time she coughed she could feel nerves in her back prickle and causing the skin of her back to burn. Not to mention the fact that beyond the vomiting, the coughing fits were sapping her of her energy. She glanced at Shinji as the boy finished cleaning off the rest of the LCL and threw the soiled towel aside. She took the moment to study him, particularly his naked back. There weren't many times that Asuka hadn't seen something around Shinji's shoulders and waist, and inwardly she was glad that was the case. However, she seemed to find his upper body intriguing at the moment. Watching how the skin, bones, and muscles, working together in an orchestrated fashion.  
  
"Lift your head." Asuka's train of though disappeared as she looked up at Shinji quizzically.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Lift your head." Asuka complied and Shinji slid a folded towel under her head as a pillow. He then turned away to work the comforter out of its packaging and spread it over the redheaded girl. "The medicine should also help you sleep."  
  
Asuka slowly nodded. She closed her eyes and sighed, feeling her body give way to sleep again.  
  
Shinji smiled softly at the sleeping form, though deep down he knew that he would have the same attachment if he had woken up with anyone else on that sandy white beach. It seemed more like a mechanism for survival. He snapped out of his reliquary as Asuka broke into another fit of coughing and laid she back down with a frustrated grunt.  
  
"Are you-"  
  
"Yes... Fine. Stop asking me dammit... Just give me some more water." Although hesitant, Shinji did so and cracked open another can of mineral water and handed it to her. She took one swallow and winced as a small wave of nausea struck her again. "Worst feeling in the world. I can't even get any sleep with this damn cough. That cough syrup is useless." Shinji looked away and picked up a small jar behind the cans of water.  
  
"What the Hell is that?"  
  
"It's a vapor salve."  
  
"It better be more useful than that syrup." Asuka sat up and snatched the jar from Shinji to read the directions. She muttered a curse in German as she realized that the directions were also written in Japanese kanji. "Dammit, I can't read this!" Asuka threw the jar back at Shinji. He quickly looked over the directions.  
  
"Rub directly onto skin of back and upper chest." Shinji translated.  
  
"It doesn't say that!" Asuka cried. "You just saying that so that you can take a peep, you God damned pervert."  
  
"Stop calling me that! I'm trying to make you feel better, not get into your pants. You think I'd want to do something like that to you?" Asuka's face was a torrent of mixed emotions as she immediately detected numerous levels to the boy's outburst. She looked away to consider her response. After a few moments she once again snatched the jar away from Shinji, reaching behind her to start taking off the plug suit. She glanced sidelong at Shinji.  
  
"Show some dignity, pervert!" Shinji turned, sitting with his back to Asuka. Although she would have preferred for him to be on the other side of the city, she decided she would just have to make due. Depressurizing the plug suit, she unzipped the back and shrugged off the top of the suit, exposing her bare back to the cool air. She quickly took the single arm of the plug suit and wrapped it tightly around her waist like a belt to ensure the rest of the suit didn't slip off. Again she checked to ensure that Shinji wasn't looking her way. "If you peek, I'll kill you."  
  
Unscrewing the cap, Asuka spread some of the stuff across her collar, taking a sharp intake of breath at how cool the substance was. She continued to rub a little more on her chest and breathing in the vapors from the salve before she started on her back. She scooped up some of the stuff and reached, only to get it on her lower back. She struggled a bit, having put the jar down to try and reach, but with no such luck. Growling in frustration, she pulled the comforter over her chest and glanced at the idle boy.  
  
"Shinji!"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Turn around I need your help." She saw Shinji hiccup in surprise.  
  
"Are you... Decent?"  
  
"What the Hell is that supposed to mean? Just turn around and help me put this salve on my back!"  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yes, dammit, now stop screwing around!" Shinji slowly turned his head, beet red as Asuka stared at him incredulously. Not only was he boring, and slow, he was so damn shy about even just seeing her back. And at the same time she was always the one running around with only a towel on and this bothered him? She nodded to her back. "Hurry up."  
  
Shinji crawled over and picked up the salve jar and hesitantly, started spreading the cream across Asuka's back. As the minutes passed, Shinji started becoming more confident about rubbing the stuff on the girl's back, but the silence seemed far too awkward. His face still a little flushed he stole glanced at the back of Asuka's head and the wonderful length of crimson hair she had.  
  
"Okay, Shinji. That's enough. You can turn away again." Shinji blinked away his daydream and returned to where he was before Asuka asked for his help. Asuka glanced down at the white cloth lying beside her. The meager blanket was originally Shinji's shirt. She picked it up.  
  
"Do you want you shirt back?" Asuka asked in a quiet tone.  
  
"No it's fine." Their brief conversation seemed distant. They never really ever had anything to talk about and dialogue between the two of them, if not an argument or a shouting match, seemed far too alien. In fact, the last time they had really talked, Asuka had gotten flustered and was halfway to punching Shinji's teeth in. Asuka lingered on the thought of the call she had gotten from Germany. While lost in thought, she pulled on Shinji's shirt and buttoned it up. It felt much cooler and much more comfortable around her shoulders that the plug suit had been.  
  
"There. Finished." Asuka announced. Shinji waited. Not really caring, Asuka laid herself back down for what seemed like the umpteenth time and looked at the ceiling.  
  
"Are you decent?" Shinji asked.  
  
"Yes. That's what I said, you idiot." Shinji got up, his back still to Asuka as he started walking away and back into the store. "Wait, where are you going?"  
  
"Since we might as well get some rest, I was going to get a blanket so I could sleep."  
  
"Why don't you sleep next to me? You can keep me warm." Asuka rolled over onto her side and propped her head up, a coy grin on her face. Shinji turned around and glared at her.  
  
"Would you stop teasing me like that, Asuka?" Asuka's face played the game of innocence.  
  
"What do you mean teasing? I was just making a fair offer. It's in my nature."  
  
"Stop it."  
  
"And why don't you stop apologizing for everything? That's just as pathetic." Asuka snapped back.  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"There you go again! Dammit your hardwired to saying that damned phrase. It's not your damn fault that we're-" Asuka froze both from the distant and strange stare Shinji gave her and the cold realization as she recalled something that she never even thought she knew. "But... It was your fault. You wanted us all to die, but then you- God, what the Hell am I saying? How could I know this?"  
  
"Because we did... We did die Asuka. And it was all because of me. When I saw the EVAs carrying Unit-02 into the air. I knew, that everyone I cared for was gone. I- I didn't-"  
  
"Care... You didn't care. This is too creepy! God knows what you know about me!" Shinji shook his head.  
  
"I can barely remember anything now. It was like dream." Shinji sat down to think. Asuka was already deep in thought, trying to put together the jumbled memories of what had happened.  
  
"All I can remember beyond what you did, is being torn apart by the EVA series. I couldn't believe it. I finally managed to start winning, I finally understood how the EVAs worked, and then I died." The expression of contemplation quickly melted away to be recast in her common look of anger. "You let me die." Shinji blinked in astonishment.  
  
"Wait! I never wanted you to die!"  
  
"Then why didn't you help me?"  
  
"Because... The EVA... Unit-01's cage was in cryostasis." Shinji's voice became panicked.  
  
"Bullshit! There had to have been a way to get inside the cage. If the Invincible Shinji can kill any Angel to have come down on Tokyo-3, some ice shouldn't have gotten in the way!"  
  
"Stop calling me that! What does killing something using an EVA have anything to do with me doing the impossible. I'm still human for God's sake!"  
  
"There you are acting all modest again! What's the matter, you lose your nerve when that doll blew herself up?"  
"D-doll?"  
  
"You are an idiot! I'm talking about Wonder Girl stupid!" Shinji glared Asuka. Old hostilities were boiling up inside her, and the frustration inside him.  
  
"But she didn't die. They rescued her from the plug... But she... She couldn't remember anything."  
  
"Great, so Wonder Girl got amnesia. That would explain why she never came back with you. Did it Shinji? Your twisted little doll didn't remember you so you just tossed her away. Not worth the effort the second time around, huh?" Shinji bunched up his fists, he wanted to punch the redheaded bitch in the face and be done with it. Asuka continued to berate the boy for all sorts of accusations. From being a pathetic pervert, to a chauvinistic pig, an over-achieving loser, and many other arguments to just state that Shinji was below the acceptable minimums of being human.  
  
"Shut up! Shut the Hell up!" Shinji cried. The anguish in his voice didn't kill the fire, only turned it into dripping disgust.  
  
"Is that all you have to say?"  
  
"Shut up!"  
  
"Hell, when your doll didn't show up, you thought you'd be better off without me. That's why you tried to kill me on the beach."  
  
"You always got pissed off at me no matter what I did. I was sick of it!"  
  
"You wanted to shut me up!"  
  
"No! I... I..." It was all falling apart now. Shinji had thought for only a second that he actually earned Asuka's trust. But it seemed all gone. Asuka's anger had risen up like a storm and caught him off guard. Shinji didn't know what to do. The girl's hollering drowned out his thought. Finally, all of his defenses felt as though they were worn down to the bone. Shinji reverted into a state where he could be safe. Snapping his eyes shut and slapping his hands over his ears, he started screaming for silence, pushing away everything.  
  
Asuka finally went quiet, but only for a moment as she got up to stand and look down at the pathetic little boy that she once thought was finally growing up. However, this was proof that he would never change. He would be the same dumb kid she met on that super carrier so many months before. He would never change.  
  
"To Hell with you." Asuka hissed, turning away and walking out the door of the department store and into the dying light of the day. She didn't care where she ended up so long as she was away from the Pathetic Shinji. Asuka walked and didn't look back.

* * *

By the time Asuka had reached the empty city's harbor. The sky was seated in violet twilight telling her plenty of time had elapsed since she had begun her walk. Stopping at the pier, Asuka looked out at the ocean and the rising darkness from the horizon. A breeze touched her face. She took a deep breath. Her nausea seemed to have passed to her relief.  
  
The deafening silence however seemed to put her out of place. Despite being at a city harbor, there were no lights, no sounds of birds settling for the night, or the final call of a freighter entering or leaving port. The place was dead. No light. Only darkness. Asuka could remember Wonder Girl had something to say about it... Although she didn't want to admit it, that was probably one of the few times that she, Shinji, and the First Child ever managed to defeat an Angel together. It always filled her with such anxiety when it was actually Shinji who got the glory, who was recognized as being the hero of Tokyo-3. Here she was, having spent her entire life building up to being able to fight the Angels and she was upstaged by a nobody who just so happened to have a talent for synchronizing with an Evangelion. What made it the most painful however, was realizing that although he was seen as a hero, in truth he acted like a weakling.  
  
Asuka sat down on the pier and looked down at the rouge shaded water. The legacy of the end of the world. Looking out at the horizon, she began remembering the blackened battlefield. What was left of her battle with the Evangelion series. It was odd how she felt the satisfaction of seeing them standing all over the land, crucified, as if it were their final punishment for defeating her. Her train of thought landed upon the shattered visage of the First Child. An enormous porcelain face with a ruby eye staring with a cadaver's conviction. It sent shivers down her spine and immediately she pushed the image from her mind, of the dead island and back to something less troubling. Asuka cast her eyes down and away from the horizon, finalizing that notion.  
  
Something stood out in the scarlet water and Asuka blinked quizzically, squinted, but couldn't make out what it was. Curiosity and imagination stirred up questions and possible answers for the solid, dark form in the water. It didn't look like a person; it had almost no form, simply a large square of darkness in the ocean. Lying down on her stomach and hanging over the pier, Asuka reached out a hand to grab the thing. Her fingers barely touched the surface of the rippling water. Not to be outdone in such fashion, Asuka grunted, pulling more of herself over the ledge to increase her reach. Again, not close enough and again she pulled herself farther over.  
  
Her fingers got a grip on the dark thing, feeling the soft solidity of it. It felt rather light and she pulled it up to the surface. However, as soon as a large amount of it was out of the water, the buoyancy it was providing was lost and the waterlogged item regained its original weight. Asuka only managed an abrupt cry as she lost her balance and plunged into the ocean. Submerged, the light of the surface gave way to darkness, the red water having absorbed the light. The water was warm, and felt safe and quiet. Like a mother's womb, or an entry plug. Memories of Unit-02 and her encounter with the soul of her mother, locked away deep inside the monstrous creation came flooding forward. She then remembered the EVA series and her death. The sensation of being torn apart and drowning in the thickening LCL returned. The icy talons of fear snatched Asuka's heart.  
  
Asuka's mind, sensing distress and fear overtake it, cried out for her to struggle. Her muscles reacted, fingers curving inward and arms swinging and legs kicking, clawing for the surface for air. Again more memories flashed into her mind.  
  
Asuka could recall when the coolant pipes for her EVA, when she was sent to capture the Ninth Angel, snapped and she began to fall down into the core of the earth, a bottomless abyss of pressure and heat. If she wasn't crushed by the pressure, boiled by the heat, she would have drowned when the LCL thickened. Then she recalled devil-like visage of her savior, Unit-01... Shinji. He wasn't here to help her now. But then again, she didn't need him.  
  
Her left hand found something solid and hard, and not caring what it was, Asuka clung to it with all the strength in her body and pulled herself upward. She had become disoriented in the water, being able to see nothing, but opted just to move, hoping that what air she had in her lungs would have bring her to the surface thanks to buoyancy. Her face broke the surface and she gulped down mouthfuls of air and opened her eyes, staring up at rivers of stars above.  
  
The ocean waves seemed to have ceased. Just the stars shining into her eyes and warm water around her. Taking breaths of cool air as she was brought out into the chill of the night from the frightening comfort of the sea. This sensation, it felt familiar. She looked up at the river of stars, veins of the distant lights managing around the clouds that sat above. So peaceful So comfortable. So natural.  
  
"Is this...? Is this what it's like to be born?" Asuka whispered to the sky. Asuka's eyes left the half-lidded gaze to one of determination as she refocused upon the old wooden post sitting the water. Her anchor. She looked around; orienting herself and seeing that she had been swept out away from the harbor, but only a small distance.  
  
Asuka swam back to the pier and pulled herself out of the water and threw down the item she had gotten her there in the first place. Not heeding the chill of the air on her wet clothes and skin, she stood over it and picked it up to examine it. Shaking it out, she realized it was a red jacket. She focused on the silver tag pinned onto the collar of the jacket. The ranking of a major in NERV... Misato?  
  
The last she heard of Misato was when she was telling her to take on the Eva series until Shinji arrived. Misato was a poor example of a guardian for her and Shinji. Being a heavy drinker and constantly going in and out of her relationship with Kaji. She simply lost herself in her thoughts, until finally one sobering thought confirmed and could easily answer the questions.  
  
They were all gone. Not dead. Nor far away. They were simply and truly gone. They would never come back again, what was here now was all that was left. Asuka raised her eyes to look at the black skyline of the city. It was just her on this pier, alone. She remembered her promise when she was but a child. That she would live alone, that she didn't need anyone. But now, looking out at this brave new world. At what she had hoped for, it seemed so wrong. She should be happy that she was alone. Misato, Wonder Girl, the Three Stooges... Shinji... He was the only one left. Was this why she felt so uneasy about this world? That she was now on the knife's edge of what she wanted. But then what reason did that give her to live? She was lost.  
  
Asuka had forgotten what it felt like to cry. She had no more tears to shed ever since she had made that promise when she was but a little girl. But the anguish, the sheer emotion just welled up in her. The confusion of not getting what she wanted, of not even knowing what she wanted. What she wanted seemed only like a paradox. One that was slowly taking her apart. Her mind was torn asunder by the Fifteenth Angel, and her body by the Eva Series. Was this the death of her soul?  
  
Asuka's knees buckled and she fell. She buried her face into the soaking wet fabric of Misato's jacket. Asuka could feel the hot tears against her face as she wept. It felt good to cry, to have no one watching, to get all of the agony off of her chest. All the pain and the heartache in one wave of tears, if only for a moment.  
  
"Asuka!" The red head's breath caught in her throat as she heard someone calling her name. She looked up from the jacket, towards the city. She heard the voice call out to her again and she stood up and looked around, taking one last sniffle to end the crying fit. She then spotted the boy up ahead, in a black T-shirt and slacks, the boy from the department store, she could barely see his form in the dimming light, but she didn't call out to him, only approached him.  
  
When Shinji finally saw Asuka, his face light up and he ran towards her. Asuka was soaked, which helped to camouflage the tears she had shed.  
  
"What took you so long?" Shinji responded with a sigh.  
  
"I see you don't want to see me."  
  
"Why? Should I be? What are looking at?" Asuka snapped, noticing Shinji looked directly at her chest. She then remembered she was wearing a wet shirt with nothing underneath. She cried out brought the jacket against her front. "What the Hell is the matter with you, pervert? You don't have to look!"  
  
"S-sorry." Shinji looked away and immediately, Asuka pulled on the jacket and zipped it up. She threw here hair out from out of the collar and turned back to face Shinji. The boy looked back and noticed the jacket and blinked as he recognized it. "W-where did you get that?"  
  
"From the ocean. It was just floating there and so a decided to pick it up."  
  
"But that's Ms. Misato's-"  
  
"That doesn't matter. So what if Misato's ghost haunts me for the rest of my days. At least it means I don't have to talk to you all the time." Shinji's face slackened into one of his pathetic little expressions as he turned away.  
  
"Alright, sorry to bother you."  
  
"What the Hell does that mean?" Asuka cried. Shinji stopped and looked around. "You came out all the way here just to check on me. The nerve! God, I should have expected you to follow me around like a dog, checking on me just to make sure I'm still around-"  
  
"You seem to be feeling better." Shinji murmured. He started walking away.  
  
"What was that? Hey! Don't walk away from me you idiot! I'm not finished yelling at you yet!" Asuka was a few paces in her pursuit of Shinji when the street lamps suddenly flashed on. She and Shinji froze and looked around. Asuka blinked, although the light wasn't very strong, it still stung at her adjusted eyes. The city's generators were starting up automatically and turning on the streetlights. Shinji looked up at them in surprise, but even he was aware that this really meant nothing.  
  
"We might as well go back to the store and get some sleep." She paused. "You do remember where the store is right."  
  
"Um... Not really." Only God knew how much of this she could take before she dashed the kids brains on a rock.  
  
"But I remember seeing a furniture store on the way here."  
  
"Well then, let's stop screwing around and get going!"  
  
Shinji nodded and led the way.

* * *

Sitting on the bed in the darkness, the faint light coming from a candle, Asuka snuggled deeper into the heavy blanket. She had finally caught a chill and once more things felt unpleasant. She was no longer sick, which was something she was definitely grateful for, but at this rate, she could easily catch a cold. Wouldn't you know it that she would be continuously sick the first few days she's been here.  
  
"Are you alright?" Shinji asked from behind the wall of changing screens, a makeshift barrier Asuka set up between the two beds in order to keep her privacy.  
  
"I'm fine. You can stop asking."  
  
"Sorry." Asuka wanted to yell at him. This was the first time she had been ill for a long while and since she and the boy were practically shackled together, he was constantly checking up on her. For almost 48 hours straight, he had been apologizing, but she knew if she complained, he would only continue to apologize.  
  
Asuka lifted her bandaged right hand from beneath the folds of the blanket. The bandaging was wrecked and she slowly unraveled it. She grimaced at the grotesque scar on her arm again. The wound was closed, but it was still not a pleasant thing to look at.  
  
After removing the arm bandage, she took of the rest, removing the one wrapped around her head and the pad from her eye. She blinked. Her left eye was unfocused and with just that eye alone, everything had a haze to it. She felt her forehead and couldn't feel anything abnormal. With her luck however, half of her forehead could have been skinned to the bone. She dropped the bandages off the bad and returned to the depths of the blanket.  
  
Misato's jacket and Shinji's shirt hung on the foot of the bed, and she looked at them thoughtfully for a couple of moments. No significant thoughts boiled to the surface. They were just something to look her. She was sleepy. That was the only explanation.  
  
"Shinji?" Asuka whispered. Shinji grunted, as if awoken.  
  
"Yeah?"  
  
"Why did you look for me?" There was a pause, Shinji didn't respond, considering the question.  
  
"You were sick. I was worried about you and I didn't want you to get worse."  
  
"That's not a very good excuse."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Idiot." There were few times that she actually said those words in a soft fashion. "_Guten nacht_, Shinji."  
  
"Um... Good night." Shinji copped out, it was no use trying to say it, he would just mess it up. Asuka sighed and picked up the candle. She blew it out. Giving way to darkness.  
  
"Good night, then."  
  
**_To Be Continued...  
  
_**Author's Note  
I admit that having Asuka start crying was a bit out of character, but I felt that the situation she realized she was in was agitating enough, plus Human Instrumentality may have had enough of effect to change her personality just a little. E-mail me if you still have a problem.


	2. Lost and Found

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. I own all original characters.  
  
**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 2: Lost and Found  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"_  
  
Shinji pulled the trigger for Unit-01's right hand. The reaction by the giant being was instantaneous. The clenched fist closed completely. The strength of the Evangelion was to be expected; the sack of blood and bones in its grip was almost as frail as air. The sound of bones turning into powder and pressure of all the blood being squeezed out, causing the vessels and skin to rupture made Shinji's stomach twist into a knot.  
  
The sound echoed within the cavernous chamber, unabsorbed by the metallic walls or the gold lake around him. At the same moment he pulled the trigger, he felt a large piece of himself be torn away, as if the soul of this monster was, in fact, an important part of Shinji. Not only was it an end to an era in mankind, but also the end to the ignorant days of being merely a child. Shinji had made a difficult decision, one that confirmed his place in the world forever. As his mind announced it, a small splash in the lake seemed to confirm it.  
  
Not even looking up to see the result of his action, Shinji had Unit- 01 release the handful of bloody pulp. With a groaning sigh; the behemoth brought its bloodied hand to its side. There was a second splash. One last reminder that what he had done was not reversible. The war with the Angels was over. The reason for NERV's existence had ended, as did Shinji's value. Deep down, the realization was earth shattering, but the pounding in his heart and the words that rang in his ears were the only things he could recall.  
  
Shinji couldn't blame anyone. Not Asuka, Rei, Misato, or his father. The blood that soiled the Evangelion's hand was caused by his choice. Unlike Touji, he had the power to change things, but here he was. Head hanging down, simply staring at the console blankly, not wanting to see reality. He killed someone. It wasn't just a thing like the Angels were. He could easily kill other Angels because they were so alien from human beings, but this time, he killed something that looked so much like a person. Not to mention one that cared about him. It didn't feel like an obligation to reciprocate the Fifth Child's affections, it was an honest feeling of mutual love that he felt. Wasn't it?  
  
Shinji slowly raised his head to see darkness above and the golden lake below.  
  
"The song is good." Shinji blinked in surprise as the same even tone said the words. He looked around and his eyes settled back onto the lake of LCL where Kaworu's head bobbed on the surface, crimson eyes staring directly at him. Not at Unit-01, but him. The disembodied head grinned. "Isn't it, Shinji?"

* * *

Shinji's eyes flew open and he took a sharp intake of breath. The golden lake and Kaworu's head disappeared from his minds eye to give way into cerulean darkness. The boy sat up in bed and looked around and listened. The room was dark, the only light being the blue moonlight that shone through the single window in the room. Asuka snored softly in the bed on the opposite side of the room.  
  
In the darkness he could see her outline and she was sleeping on the edge of the bed, a pail seated nearby. A week had passed since they were in the abandoned city on the coast and now Asuka's bouts of nausea returned. At this point it didn't seem like food poisoning, rather it seemed that Asuka had come down with stubborn flu. She didn't have a fever, or any other symptom, she was just constantly sick to her stomach. Shinji was thankful that he thought to bring some medicine along before they started off again. It seemed that it was working, but the redhead refused to take any chances and became quite attached with the metal pail since they found the cabin.  
  
Shinji turned his attention to the window. There were no sounds outside and it made the night peaceful. No animals stirred and no monster would be stalking in the shadows. All of that was gone, leaving an empty world without fear. Shinji frowned; he had to use the washroom.  
  
The boy brought his feet over the edge of the bed and softly put them down on the wood floor. Asuka would kill him if he woke her up after she had finally gotten settled. Shinji reached down and cautiously felt around the floor until his hand settled on the black rubber grip of the flashlight, his other hand wandered and found his shoes. He crept out of the room and slipped the door shut behind him.  
  
Shinji had emerged onto the balcony landing of the cabin. A second bedroom had been made in the space under the eaves of the sloping roof and was accessed by a large, sturdy ladder. The bottom floor was illuminated by the moonlight outside shining through several windows. Shinji had opted that the two of them slept in the second bedroom, there was another one downstairs, directly below the one that they used, however there was the presence of the puddle of LCL, the remnant of a person after Third Impact.  
  
Shinji put on his shoes and clambered down the ladder. He glanced towards the closed door to that very bedroom. Even though there was nothing to be afraid of from a puddle, it was the equivalent of finding a dead body at this point. He turned and made his way past the dusty table, a lonely couch, and a rickety rocking chair, to the front door.  
  
Shinji swung the beam of light from the flashlight across the gray trunks of the trees that stood so close to the cabin. This wasn't a natural clearing that the cabin had been built. All the trees responsible for making the cabin came from all around. It was item of rustic civilization nestled deep in a pocket of verdant green. Turning to the right, Shinji walked slowly through the thick grass, carefully feeling the ground in order to avoid tripping over a tree root or stone.  
  
Shinji paused at the door to the outhouse. It was simply a precaution, despite the fact that there was no one in there, there was a possibility that an animal could be holing up inside and would not take kindly to his barging in. However, that simply puzzled Shinji. After Third Impact, there was no sound of animals as if they too were eliminated in the cataclysm. Indeed everything in the world that could be under the sun or in the deepest shadows were gone. All save the plants however.  
  
Shinji blinked away the mysteries, and pushed them into a corner of his mind to be reviewed later. He had to go to the bathroom.

* * *

Zipping up his fly and fastening his belt buckle, the boy rubbed the dreariness from his eyes and picked up the flashlight, passing it across the distance towards the cabin. Shinji gave out a yawn. After a few steps he stopped and noticed that he was humming. He blinked and stopped himself, confused at what had possessed him to do so. It was clear that he must have been tired because it sounded as if he was hearing music.  
  
Shinji stopped in his tracks and looked around. He was expecting silence but in the distance he could hear the sound of a guitar being played. It couldn't be his imagination. Could it? The boy faced the direction he could only guess the instrument was being played from and with only a glance out of the corner of his eye at the cabin, he started towards it.  
  
Only a few paces into the trees and already Shinji was anxious about leaving Asuka alone. If it were his imagination, then it wouldn't be worth getting her out of bed. Besides, he didn't want to give the spitfire another reason to insult him. But if this wasn't his imagination...  
  
Shinji started considering what the source of the music could entail. If it was coming from a derelict car out in the wilderness, it couldn't be possible that the batteries had been lasting this long, at least, not without him hearing them earlier. The only plausible explanation was that there was someone out in the woods playing a guitar. And singing. However, the language was foreign.  
  
Again anxiety was brought in another wave in Shinji's mind. What if they didn't understand Japanese? What if they were more lost and confused than Shinji or Asuka were? As soon as he was beginning to panic, he thought of Asuka and how she would yell at him, if she were with him now, for being a wimp. He may still be a kid, but he was also a male. Running into a hostile person shouldn't get him scared. Although Shinji would have disagreed, just imagining Asuka's presence pushed him forward, farther from the real Asuka. Shinji realized that he was being pushed into a scary situation by another situation that bothered him.  
  
Only took a couple of minutes before Shinji realized that his guess at where the music was coming from was incorrect. Listening more closely to the person's singing, he turned in one direction and took several paces, before turning in another. Weaving a meandering path through the trees. Before he knew it, he was lost.  
  
Turning and looking around, Shinji's brow furrowed. He couldn't recognize his path through the forest and knew all too well that he had lost his bearing and that he didn't know where the cabin had disappeared to in the forest.  
  
With relative darkness and a near infinite limbo of trees with only the sound of the phantom singer in the distance, it was easy for Shinji's imagination and fears to start creeping up on him. He swallowed and closed his eyes, focusing on listening to the sound of the music. Reorienting himself, he started after the noise again, this time at a run.  
  
Both hope and dread filled Shinji's racing heart as he finally heard the music becoming louder and clearer. He pumped hard, his eyes wide and the light of the flashlight bouncy as he ran. Suddenly, everything disappeared from around and below him. Shinji let out a cry of alarm as he pitched forward and down the slope and towards the spot of burning light.  
  
Striking the ground, Shinji immediately snapped his eyes shut as he bounced and tumbled the rest of the way down. His entrance was greeting by shout, the end of the music, and the sound of a crackling fire. Shinji opened his eyes to see the black sky above and a face silhouetted by the nearby flame.  
  
"Are you alright?" The face said, half-panicked. Shinji blinked, his eyes wide as he nodded. The face drew back. "Ha. You scared me."  
  
Shinji sat up and looked at the figure. He blinked and frowned, but couldn't quite see who it was.  
  
"And I thought I was alone." The figure approached again and offered Shinji a hand up. He hesitated a moment before taking it and being pulled up onto his feet with one strong tug. "You're sure you're okay?" The figure asked again.  
  
"Y-yeah. T-thank you." Shinji stammered. The man gave a chuckle and put a hand on his hip. There was an awkward silence for a second; neither of the two strangers were sure what to say next. After a few moments the man walked over to the fire and turned back to Shinji, now with the firelight against his face. He was a rather handsome man of oriental descent with shoulder-length brown hair. It was only then that Shinji realized the man was actually speaking fluent Japanese and not the same language he had been singing just a moment ago.  
  
"So what's your name?" The man asked. Shinji blinked, still lost in the lull.  
  
"Uh... I-Ikari. Ikari, Shinji."  
  
"Well, pleased to-" The man paused and Shinji winced, hoping he didn't do anything wrong. "Did you just say your name is Ikari?" Shinji stepped closer to the firelight and nodded. The man blinked and stared at him in shock before flopping down on a fallen log. "I'll be damned."  
  
"Is something wrong?" Shinji asked. He took a step back, but was puzzled when the man responded with a laugh.  
  
"I never imagined it would be such a small world."  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"Hmm. So you don't recognize me? I'm not at all surprised, we never actually met. In fact, you probably never heard me despite how closed I was to you." This only helped to confuse Shinji even more.  
  
"Excuse me? Who are you?"  
  
"Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba." It took a few moments before it registered.  
  
"Of NERV? You worked alongside Misato, didn't you?" Shigeru nodded, happy to see that Shinji had figured it out.  
  
"Like I said. I don't think we were ever formally introduced. I've seen a lot of good things from you, Shinji Ikari. I'm glad to see that you're alright." Shinji nodded. "And I thought I was the only one left."  
  
"I thought we were to." Shinji sat down on a log opposite to Shigeru. The young man looked up.  
  
"'We'? You mean there is someone else? Who?"  
  
"Uh... Asuka." Even though Shinji now recognized Shigeru, he still felt a little pensive about giving any more information. He still wasn't quite sure where the two of them stood.  
  
"Asuka Langely Sohryu? My God, it seems miracles can happen."  
  
"What?" Shigeru shook his head and Shinji frowned, he didn't like his question being shrugged off, but kept quiet. He opted to change the subject. "Where have you been?" Shigeru looked up at him.  
  
"You mean after Third Impact?" Shinji hesitated then nodded. Shigeru whistled and looked skyward. "I'd say it's been two days since I found myself being swept up onto the beach. Of course, I was disoriented and confused for a long time. The last thing I remembered was being in NERV headquarters, holed up by the JSDF."  
  
"The Japanese Self Defense Force?" Shinji looked puzzled. "Why was the JSDF attacking us?"  
  
"Isn't it obvious? NERV's job was to use the Evangelions to kill the Angels. When they were all gone they realized what NERV was capable of with EVAs. The Committee, our sponsors, didn't trust us so they worked with the JSDF to try and disable NERV so that we couldn't try anything."  
  
"But we didn't plan on trying anything. Asuka couldn't pilot Unit 02 and Unit 00 was completely destroyed. I wouldn't have used Unit 01 to hurt anyone." Shigeru's face turned to ashen solemnity.  
  
"What about when Unit-03 turned on us." Shinji's jaw dropped as the sting of cold realization came across him. His father had been capable of making Unit-01 work without Shinji synching with the EVA.  
  
"With so much power, Commander Ikari could have done some very terrible things." Shinji was quiet for a moment.  
  
"So... They wanted to kill me to protect others. When did NERV become the enemy?"  
  
"The minute we made the mistake of trying to stop the Committee from hacking into Tokyo-3's MAGI computers. The MAGI could be fooled into thinking it was necessary to launch the EVAs and to fight back. But if they had the MAGI there would be no way anyone in the organization could convince enough personnel in the facility to help manually launch the EVAs." Shinji nodded, he remembered during the Angel attack when all the power in Tokyo-3 was out and how many people it took simply to simply release the Evangelions from their cages.  
  
"And even if someone managed that, the EVAs would be limited to a few battery packs." Shigeru nodded slowly.  
  
"If we weren't so foolish and simply allowed NERV to be taken over, none of this would have happened." Shigeru hung his head. "God were we stupid."  
  
Shinji was about to open his mouth and say something. Be he stopped himself and wondered how Shigeru would react if he found out the truth. There was no point in making an enemy out of someone that Shinji was fortunate enough to meet out in what seemed like such an empty world.  
  
However, Shigeru's appearance also brought more questions to Shinji. Namely, were there others that were awakening from the ocean? Were they really alone anymore?  
  
"So... Where is Asuka anyway?"  
  
"We had found a cabin somewhere in the woods. I came here when I started to hear you play your guitar and sing. However," Shinji looked away sheepishly. "I lost track of where the cabin was." Shigeru sighed, disappointed.  
  
"Well I've been wandering these woods for about a day, and I can tell you that they are awfully thick and that slope you had fallen down just a moment ago was probably the only landmark I've found thus far."  
  
"So we're lost?" Shinji's voice was tinged with despair.  
  
"Maybe not. How good is your memory?" Shinji looked at him curiously.  
  
"Um... Pretty good, I guess."  
  
"When you started away from the cabin, which way were you facing? Relative to north." Shinji thought about it. Recalling the direction of the setting sun when he and Asuka had found the cabin.  
  
"South... West?" Shigeru nodded and stood up and looked around. He turned to face the slope and slowly turned forty-five degrees left and pointed.  
  
"Probably around that direction." He said flatly. He then turned to the fire and picked up a pail lying nearby and doused the flames. He then slung the guitar and a duffle bag over his shoulder and carried along the bucket. "Let's go." Shinji hesitated for a moment, surprised at how quickly and confidently Shigeru had gotten his bearings and started walking. Grabbing his flashlight, Shinji followed, leaving the meager campsite of the musical lieutenant behind.

* * *

"Damn it, Shinji, where the Hell are you?" Asuka groaned as she eased her self onto the sofa in the cabin. She plunked the wet pail next to her after a round of vomiting. She no longer had her cold, but now it seemed that she was constantly sick to her stomach and it was down right frustrating. Especially when there wasn't anyone around to provide moral support. But really, that was the only thing she required of Shinji, beyond providing proof that she wasn't completely alone.  
  
She unscrewed the cap to a bottle of water to chase down a pair of nausea pills in order to settle her stomach and wiped the sweat from her forehead. She heaved a frustrated sigh and stared up at the rafters above her. Morning sunlight shone through the windows. She didn't know how long Shinji had been gone, only that he had left everything behind except for the clothes on his back and a flashlight.  
  
If it weren't for the nausea and her anger from him disappearing, she would have worried about his fate. Had he been attacked and dragged away by some animal? That was one of the least likely possibilities, again, because they were probably the only living things on earth aside from the plants. A more humorous and most likely possibility was that he had gotten lost somewhere between the cabin and the outhouse.  
  
She smiled at the thought, but exhaustion caused her to give up that expression. She took another swig of water, sloshed in her mouth and spat it out into the bucket, trying to expel the acrid taste of bile from her mouth. She curled up against the stiff cushions. She was already bored, having nothing to do in the cabin. She would have preferred to keep travelling, but she had to wait not only for the nausea to subside, but she needed Shinji to return. Of course, the former had to be accomplished before she could begin on the latter.  
  
Asuka growled, which only came out as a groan. The discomfort of her stomach was keeping her awake. She stifled a small yawn and stared at the bark of the cabin walls and allowed her mind to drift. Going over the events of the past few days and backwards. As her thoughts continued backwards, she decided to leave her experiences in Tokyo-3 behind. She didn't need to cry and in retrospect, she was infuriated that she had allowed herself to cry before. That brought her back to thinking about Misato's jacket, which was now draped over her backpack upstairs.  
  
Before the two of them had left the city on the coast, they had the common sense to forage out of stores and gather supplies. Neither of them knew exactly where they had shown up since they had left what was left of Japan by boat. Truly, there was nothing for them in that graveyard. However, they had a suspicion that they were on the northern coast of China. Then came the question of where they should go. Shinji had suggested traveling south, a warmer climate being easier to manage that the cold of Russia or taking risks in the Chinese mountains. Unfortunately, the roads leading south didn't always follow the coast and they decided to cut through the forest. Too bad they didn't know just how large the wooded area was before nightfall.  
  
"Stupid Shinji and his dumb ideas." Asuka grumbled, burying her face in a lonely pillow.  
  
_"Wer möchte einen idioten wie sie?"_  
  
Asuka's heart skipped a beat and she lifted her face from the pillow, her breath caught in throat and she slowly looked around the room. She had thought she had heard someone say something. In German no less.  
  
"H-hello?" She whispered. Asuka quickly realized though, that she had imagined it. But the voice she imagined was that of a girl. There was also the twisted pleasure in the background of the voice, as if those hurtful words were actually enjoyable. If she ever said that to Shinji, it would be out of anger, not purposeful cruelty. Had she ever said those words to anyone before? She couldn't have.  
  
There was in one corner of her mind that she neglected, one place that objected to her assumption. Even when the Fifteenth Angel dove into her psyche, it never happened to look at her time at NERV before Tokyo-3. In the end she forgot about it, it never really seemed important.  
  
Asuka began trying to remember that time, allowing the memories to well up. It was at the first NERV headquarters, the one in Germany. She was training to become a pilot, while rocketing through the grades at school and landing into college. She had gone through textbooks, cover-to-cover in a few scant weeks whereas her peers would take four months, if not more. People thought her ability to get by so successfully was a product of natural intellect, and not her ability to work hard. They also said that she was just like her brother and that was where it had all began.  
  
The boy was short, having been slow to reach puberty, however he bounded through the grades with scores that seemed to laugh at his instructors. Despite his age and physical stature, none of the other children dared to tease him because they knew that he was not only very smart, but also dangerous. Asuka and the boy were the same age. Asuka could remember his shaggy brown hair that stood up in numerous directions and ice blue eyes. Asuka feint disinterest at the time, not at all believing that this boy was any threat to her. When she made eye contact with him, however, she was hard pressed not to shield her face from his cold stare. Asuka physically shuddered in remembering that look.  
  
As the rest of their peers looked on in shock and admiration, the two 'geniuses' had waged a silent war through their academics, jockeying for the highest average. The competition for a better grade became trivial, however, when she discovered that the boy was also training to become an Evangelion pilot. Neither of them knew at first. When their paths finally crossed in one of the underground installation's corridors, Asuka hid in a bathroom stall where she could take a breath without revealing how much the boy disturbed her.  
  
"What was your name again?" Asuka breathed. She could easily remember what he looked like two years ago, but couldn't remember his name. Asuka grew impatient and with a huff, pressed the pillow to her face.  
  
What did it matter anymore? If the kid didn't get himself killed with his attitude, he probably was gone like the rest of the human race. Again her thoughts returned to that of Shinji. Where was that idiot? She swung her feet off of the couch and got up to stretch. Wandering over to a window she looked out at the bright day and around at the woods. Nothing. She made her way back to the couch.  
  
The creak of rusty hinges caused Asuka to stop and look to the door to the second room on the main floor of the cabin. When they had first arrived, Asuka was too ill to actually explore and when she inquired why she couldn't stay downstairs, Shinji was very vague in his reasons but was firm. However, now that the medication was kicking in, her attention needed a diversion. Now was the time to see what caused Shinji to avoid the room.  
  
The infinite number of possibilities of what could be behind those doors that had turned Shinji away from it filled Asuka's mind. Although it was broad daylight outside, she felt as though she was in a horror movie and the single plinking piano keys would begin to play at any moment as her hand moved closer. She gave the door a firm push and it swung away, opening into the mysterious second room. She stepped through and looked around.  
  
It was a single person's bedroom that took up half of the cabin's floor space, but despite its size, the furnishings were sparse. Two bookshelves, a desk and chair, a rotting recliner and a ragged bed soaked in golden fluid. Asuka frowned at the stuff on the bed, not recalling what it was at the moment. But then her memory flashed back to Shinji cleaning the same substance of his pack a week ago. It was LCL. But LCL was only used by NERV to fill the EVA cages and entry plugs, why would there be LCL lying anywhere else? Asuka wanted to touch the stuff, to see whether it did feel like what she thought it was. She stopped and reconsidered the action, retracting her hand. Turning away, she set about examining the rest of the room.  
  
A white map had been rolled out on the desk held down by a metal ruler and a heavy magnifying glass. Long red lines cut across the black grid work that divided light blue ripples into equal sections. Asuka examined the map for only a few moments before looking away, not understanding it. She was about to wander to the bookcase when she noticed the silver and black box sitting on a small wooden crate at one side of the desk. She picked it up, immediately recognizing it as a radio. Turning it over, Asuka looked it up and down before finally switching it on and being greeted with soft static. She played with the controls, scanning through the signals only find either more static or complete silence. Asuka turned it off and set the radio down on the desk.  
  
There were numerous binders on the bookshelf, all white with black printing on the spine, in Japanese no less. Asuka plucked one from the case and flipped through it, finding more maps and reports. Asuka put the binder back and sighed. She sat down in the recliner and looked around the room. There was nothing,. God, without electricity or another human being she would go insane with boredom. Considering the fact that she had already started hearing voices, that didn't seem very far off.  
  
Asuka shifted in the recliner, something was digging into her backside. She reached behind her and grasped a leather book. She pulled the item free and brought it front of her. There were no markings to tell what it was, in kanji or otherwise. She opened it up.  
  
"What?" Asuka whispered, finding only blank pages. She started flipping through finding out they had begun to start writing, at the very back of the book. No, it would be the back of the book in Japan. This person started where books normally begin in Europe, right to left. As if she had found the Ark of the Covenant, Asuka's jaw found it's way into her lap as her eyes passed over fluent English in cursive script. God, how long had it been since she had seen those wonderful Arabic letters lined up to form a European language? Her grin widened with every passing word, until she finally reached the end of the page.  
  
This was the journal of who ever had lived here before Third Impact took them away. These were the private thoughts of one human being. In a sense, it was the writer's being wrapped up in a day-to-day account of their lives. The gravity of the book's contents finally dawned on her. Asuka rested the leather bound book on her lap and looked at the featureless cover. One part of her wanted to leave this alone, and respect the privacy of someone who no longer existed, and yet another wanted to have something to stimulate her mind, no matter how intimate the information could be. Finally, another part of her reasoned that she was doing the missing man a favor by reading this story, because they would never tell it to another soul.  
  
The debate was short, but her action reluctant. Asuka carried the book to the couch in the next room, got comfortable, and began pouring over the stranger's thoughts.

* * *

Her brain was only half awake when she registered Shinji's voice in the distance and she jumped up with a start, spilling the journal onto the floor. She raced to the front door, tore it open and rushed outside to see Shinji practically crawl across the uncut grass.  
  
"Asuka, is that you?" Shinji breathed, raising his head and revealing the heavy circle under his eyes. The dangerous look on the redhead's face didn't click in for several seconds, all too late for him to work up an effective defense.  
  
"Where the Hell were you, you idiot? I had the mind to leave you in this knot hole if it weren't for the fact that my guts are turning inside out every damn morning!" Shinji stumbled back, as if physically struck by Asuka's verbal maelstrom. "You look like you haven't slept at all! What were you doing all this time? Playing hide and seek with yourself?"  
  
"Ah... No?" Sleep deprivation had left Shinji with no way of working out a very good excuse. This was probably the equivalent to coming home drunk... To any place but the Katsuragi household. Asuka huffed and looked away, unimpressed by the zombie.  
  
"You really haven't changed." Asuka looked back at Shinji and growled.  
  
"What the Hell did you just say?" Asuka blinked, noticing that Shinji was looking over his shoulder and his lips weren't moving. Either he went out to practice ventriloquism or... Asuka leaned to one side to see an older man with long dark brown hair give her a weak smile. She immediately jumped back in surprise. The fellow laughed. "Howdy."  
  
Asuka was in shock, her lips moved, trying to make out words, but no sounds came out. She just stared in disbelief at the second member of the walking dead and the third human being she had seen in days including herself. Shinji looked up at his silent companion with concern.  
  
"Asuka? Are you alright?" This gave Asuka the opportunity to stop staring at the stranger and vent her emotion out.  
  
"How the Hell did this happen? Where on earth did you find this guy? And why do you look like something the cat dragged in? Gott im Himmel, was ist los herum hier?" Already, Asuka was losing focus on speaking Japanese, returning to spouting out German and leaving Shinji in a deeper fog.  
  
"Well, I'm Lieutenant Shigeru Aoba. I ran into Shinji here in the woods and since he lost his way, we've been walking through the woods all night. Though I'm not sure how to answer your first and last question." Asuka looked at the fellow in surprise.  
  
"L-lieutenant? You're military?" Shigeru sighed.  
  
"Yeah, it doesn't seem like you pilots know we lieutenants exist. No, I'm not military. I'm NERV personnel. We never met, Asuka, but I'm one of the ones responsible for giving you information during your missions." Asuka didn't look convinced and crossed her arms. Neither of the men spoke, and having lost interest in yelling and interrogating them, Asuka turned away and walked back into the cabin. Shinji looked at Shigeru, who simply shrugged. The two bushwhackers dragged themselves through the front door.  
  
Shinji had deposited himself onto the couch just as Asuka picked up the journal. She glanced over as she heard Shigeru dump his luggage next to the door and stumbled down into the rocking chair. He sighed as the chair rocked and creaked. Soon the two were fast asleep. Asuka looked away and returned to the study and shut the door behind her, plopping down into the recliner. She cracked open the journal again.  
  
An event of such importance should have affected her more than it did. Shinji had found another human being in what seemed like an empty world. There were plenty of questions she wanted to ask this Shigeru fellow. In their state, though, they wouldn't be able to give the answers she needed. Besides, she already had someone she could easily delve into now, someone who seemed familiar, but was surely a complete stranger. Asuka wondered if this sensation was going to haunt her forever, a constant sensation of déjà vu whenever she touched the life of an assumedly complete stranger.  
  
Asuka shook her head. The answers could wait awhile. After all, she wasn't too impatient. With Shinji and Shigeru sleeping soundly in the next room, Asuka flipped to the next page in the journal and nestled down in the recliner to read.  
  
**_To Be Continued..._**  
  
Author's Note  
Some of my readers may not appreciate the entrance of Shigeru. However, I've been careful to try and only add elements that will further the plot. Save for some fan service. The addition of the journal was a last minute choice, but I believe it will be of greater significance later in the story. Out of all the characters, I often am most concerned with trying to keep Asuka's personality as close to the original one, even though Third Impact would give license for a few minor alterations. I would like to thank those who have reviewed and commented on my work, I appreciate it. 


	3. Broadcast

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. I own all original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 3: Broadcast  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
  
_Asuka often enjoyed traveling, particularly the aspect of exploring a new place. Of course, some places were a bit too foreign. Japan for example was a completely different culture from what Asuka was used to. Spain or Brazil, on the other hand, was foreign and yet not too far out that she would feel too out of her element. Asuka reclined against the sun-warmed rock and listened as a guitar played a spicy little number somewhere nearby. She smiled, allowing the music and the sounds of the waves crashing against the shore to take her away to a foreign land crafted in her imagination.  
  
"Why again are we just sitting here?" Asuka cracked an eye open. The mood was lost forever as far as she was concerned. She turned her head to look at the party-pooping Shinji.  
  
"It's a nice day, dumb ass, and it's been a week since we just relaxed."  
  
"But shouldn't we be moving on and trying to find some more people? If Shigeru is here, then there must be more."  
  
"For the love of God, Shinji, lighten up! We have been traveling for weeks in all kind of pitiful weather. This is the first time that the sun is shining, music is playing, and we are on a nice beach."  
  
"But-"  
  
"You know, you sure are pale for a Japanese person. Go over somewhere and get a tan."  
  
"She's right, a kid like you could use a good dose of sun once in awhile." Shigeru quipped, ending his serenade from atop the cluster of rocks. Asuka had been a little worried that her comment would have angered Shigeru. The fact that he agreed, on the other hand, only empowered her argument.  
  
"See? Even Mr. Aoba thinks you're afraid of the sun." Shinji glared at the redhead and then up at the musician who immediately began ignoring the argument, retuning to his instrument. After a few moments, Shinji looked away with a sigh, defeated. Asuka returned to reading the leather bound notebook she had found.  
  
Asuka glanced over at her backpack. As always, she had Misato's jacket draped over it. There wasn't very much in the backpack of any incredible value. At most her plug suit, and a set or two of spare clothes, filled the piece of luggage. Shinji had warned that they should only bring clothes for traveling and nothing ostentatious. Shinji was sulking because his orders went unheard. Asuka had decided to treat herself to a loose, comfortable summer dress. Just because they were going to be survivalists, didn't mean that Asuka had to sacrifice fashion. Besides, the apparel didn't take up too much room in her pack and it just felt good to where something cool on a nice warm day.  
  
Asuka reclined lower, stretching his legs out over the beach towel and burying her bare toes in the warm sand. Shigeru began to play again, a simple, slow, soothing melody, but all the while enjoyable in developing a mood. A small smile of satisfaction played on her face, her short bout with Shinji quickly disappearing from her mind.  
  
Shinji ignored the two as they enjoyed the day, he looked out to the sea and the sickening red stain in what had once between tranquil blue. Both Shigeru and Asuka were fooling themselves into thinking that everything was all right. Nothing was all right, one look at the ocean and the red stain proved it. Even looking skyward, on clear nights, they could see the ribbon of red particles illuminated in the moonlight. If they averted their eyes from the sea and the sky, the world was rife with the pools of LCL and the evidence of a civilization now forever gone. The only thing they could do was search for more people, but his two companions couldn't seem to grasp the importance of it all. It frustrated Shinji and his head sank deeper in his crossed arms.  
  
In retrospect, it seemed completely understandable that neither of them would understand his position on things. Neither of them really did experience the things he had gone through. Asuka was catatonic, and Shigeru... Although he had seen what he had done during the battle with the Seventeenth Angel, he could never understand the emotions that went through Shinji at the time.  
  
Shinji recalled the nightmare he had of when he killed Kaworu. Never before did he realize that his very own subconscious would construct something so disturbing. However, at the same time, all dreams had a reason for being. Shinji remembered several times when he had dreamt something and days or weeks later, an instance of it occurred. He could easily dismiss many of them as coincidence, but what did the future entail in the case of the nightmare, if anything at all?  
  
"Are either of you as hungry as I am?" Shigeru asked, the music being interrupted again. Asuka heaved a sigh and looked up at the musician.  
  
"You know, it may be why I don't feel sick, but I admit that I feel kind of hungry too. Hey Shinji!" He looked over his shoulder at the German girl.  
  
"What?" He grumbled.  
  
"Since you're not going to enjoy the beach like the rest of us, why don't you put your survivalist instincts to good use? Go find us something to eat."  
  
"Why do I always have to do the work, around here? Dammit, I deserve a break once in awhile too." Asuka leered at Shinji from the corner of her eye. It really pissed her off when Shinji whined like this.  
  
"Oh, now you're complaining about getting a break. Well you forfeit because you were going to be such a downer for Mr. Aoba and I. Besides, I am sure that you'll have a good time shopping, cooking, and all the other chores like you always do."  
  
"I didn't have a choice! I ended up getting practically the whole week to do the chores and we'd all be dead if I didn't take over Misato's days in the kitchen." Asuka had to give him that one. "Besides, you never have happened to be in the kitchen for anything but to grab some junk food." Asuka jumped up and put her hands of her hips, her patience already wearing thin.  
  
"So what is it now? You expect a woman to always be in the kitchen making the meals for YOU, except when they are inadvertently poisoning you? You are such a chauvinist!" Asuka spun around with a huff. Shinji jumped up to his feet, taking the shouting match further.  
  
"I'm the chauvinist? What about, Kaji! He al-" The surrounding area was treated to a change in air pressure, and everyone could feel it, Shinji more so than Shigeru. The boy's mouth had just caused him to cross a very dangerous line. Asuka turned around slowly, as if every muscle was working with careful precision. This wasn't the same kind of fiery whirlwind of rage Asuka was capable of flying into, it was something different, something that Shinji only encountered in his mind.  
  
"How dare you." Her voice quivered with emotion as she approached. Fear trickled down the boy's spine as she drew near. "How dare you call Kaji such horrible things when he died protecting us. He died trying to ensure that NERV's enemies would not attack. He managed to hold them off until the last Angel was dead. He sacrificed himself to protect me where you failed me and you are wiping his name in the dirt. He was more of a man that a little spoiled brat like you could ever be!"  
  
Asuka tried to keep her emotions in check, even though all the anger that she had for the Third Child was reaching a level that she found extremely difficult to contain. Kaji was as close to a real family member that she could imagine. He rarely talked down to her and considered her an equal. He was also attractive in his rugged sense, a model of an individualist, something she wanted to attain herself. She was aware that at the very most she and Kaji had a brother and sister kind of relationship, but she was dogged that one day there could have been more between them. But, the fact that he was bad mouthing Kaji was only the start.  
  
Asuka despised every part of Shinji. He was naturally capable at piloting an Evangelion and had all the luck in massacring the Angels. She had spent years in Hell, constantly getting ulcers over trying to outdo the other pilot candidate from Germany. She had to fight tooth and nail in order to become a pilot and here was the upstart whose achievements were a hard slap in her face. When she heard about his exploits in defeating three previous Angels, she could grudgingly accept his superiority, at the time. When they met however, he was nothing more than a scrawny, weak-willed boy who just so happened to hide behind the shield of humble mediocrity. As far as she was concerned, he didn't deserve the prestige of being an EVA pilot.  
  
Shinji could sense the rising anger in Asuka, however, the emotion was coming at a startlingly different angle and he knew he had to choose his next action careful. What Shinji didn't realize though, was that even the movement of a single muscle was grounds to cause Asuka to explode. It was far too late to realize that though, as Shinji took a step back. Asuka noticed it immediately.  
  
"What's this? Your statement is defied and you back down? You must be some kind of pile of quivering horseshit! You have no backbone at all! You don't even stand by what you say!"  
  
"But I didn't mean it like that!" Shinji cried, scrambling to try and get a proper apology out.  
  
"So now you're going to try and take back what you said? Hell, no! It's time you actually lived with your choices Shinji and start taking responsibility for them. I am sick of you backing down." Asuka's fists tightened and Shinji tensed.  
  
"I'm sorry, Asuka!" Shinji cried, but this finally pushed Asuka over the edge.  
  
"Not as sorry as I'm going to be!" She roared. Asuka lunged forward and grabbed a handful of the boy's shirt and her other arm cocked back to throw a swift punch to his face. In the same instance as she released her balled fist, a large hand grabbed her arm, stopping the blow mid-flight.  
  
"That's enough! Both of you!" Shigeru bellowed in an authoritative tone. Both of the children froze and looked wide-eyed at the young man that scowled down at them. He roughly pushed Asuka and Shinji away from each other and stood between them. "I've been dealing with you two bickering for weeks and I'm sick of it, God dammit!  
  
"Asuka, you had better stow that bitchy attitude of yours before I get upset. I may not be your father, but I will damn well set you straight. So God help me!  
  
"Shinji, I suggest you quit whining and think about the situation. Asuka is constantly sick and I'm the most experienced in first aid so I should stick by her. You're not trying to relax so you might as well get work and find some food because there's no point for you to stick around here if you're going to complain." Shigeru looked back and forth at the two kids as they slowly lowered their heads. "Do I make myself clear?"  
  
"Yes sir." The children answered simultaneously. Both turned away. Asuka to her blanket and book to sulk. Shinji walked away from the coast at back into the town to start foraging. Shigeru finally took a breath as the tension finally came to a low simmer and recovered his guitar, shaking out the sand and putting it down on his lap.  
  
It was hard for Shigeru to accept at Asuka and Shinji were still only children. The way they constantly did battle with the Angels and managed to get by even the most traumatizing of experiences often helped build the illusion that they were just adults of smaller stature. When Shigeru had first met the two former pilots in the cabin they shared several days ago, he had believed that they had finally matured in some way that they could peacefully coexist without coming to blows. Indeed Asuka was still hot headed and Shinji's strength of personality was lacking, but they had managed to come this far without killing each other.  
  
Shigeru never really knew how to raise children. Being only in his mid twenties, children were the last thing on his mind. What he was really thinking about in the terms of the future was what direction his career would go after NERV was disbanded. But now things had changed. The safe world that Shigeru was introduced to had been swept away. He now found himself in a world of uncertainty, where everything could end again. Doubt festered in Shigeru's mind as to what the real purpose of living in such a world was. It seemed all of humanity's efforts in staying alive were futile.  
  
Shigeru looked down from his perch to Asuka on her beach towel. She had gotten over the fight with Shinji but hadn't returned to the book she had found, now taking interest in the red scar running down her right arm. Shigeru tried not to mention it or bring it up, believing that the girl still had unpleasant memories about how the wound came to be. Obviously, it had come from the butchering of Unit-02 at the hands of the EVA series. Shigeru turned his attention back to his guitar and ran his fingers down the strings. He started playing a slow, soft song. He didn't feel like anything lively, despite the warm sun and cool air. Asuka didn't complain.

* * *

Shinji kicked a lonely pebble down the empty streets, listening to it clatter and click over the asphalt in his wake. It felt frustrating to be the one always getting the short end of the stick on this mess. With Asuka being constantly sick and Shigeru having greater qualifications in order to take care of her, Shinji was always the one to be sent out on all sorts of errands. In retrospect, however, he often did all of the work in Misato's apartment just as well. However, they were not in an apartment and Misato wasn't present, so it didn't seem right that such treatment felt justified. He hated to admit it, but he was the 'Invincible Shinji', so he should get at least something from it.  
  
What the Hell was he thinking? It was that same overconfident attitude that almost got him killed when facing the Twelfth Angel. Shinji couldn't even remember how he had managed to get out of that situation. The last thing he could remember was his body slackening as the LCL started to become viscous. With a jolt, Shinji shook the memories and thoughts from his head. Death was not something that Shinji wanted to experience. He didn't want to see Kaworu again.  
  
Shinji squeezed his eyes just and gritted his teeth. Even the very thought of that Angel drove him almost to the brink of insanity. The boy was an Angel of all things, however Shinji continued to regard him as a human being and as a friend. Shinji knew that he had done the right thing. Killing Kaworu was the only way he could protect humanity. But then humanity fell away, all the same. He failed in his duty as an EVA pilot. He failed Misato, Kaji, Rei, and Touji... And Asuka was fully aware of his failure too. They all deserved to reprimand him. But he didn't want to hear it.  
  
Covering his ears and with his eyes firmly sealed, Shinji ran. Pushing down the thoughts and memories, Shinji settled himself down. Focusing on the beating of his heart, the rhythmic movement of his lungs, and the movement of his legs. Drowning out the harsh words and criticism with the noise of his body, Shinji managed to find solace in the cacophony. Slowing his pace and coming to a stop, Shinji opened his eyes and uncovered his ears and looked around.  
  
Behind him, Shinji could see the road stretch farther away from the beach. The buildings had gotten smaller, a tiny suburbia with slanted roof houses, wooden fences, and small squares of thick green grass in front of the structures. It was as if Shinji had stepped into a small piece of his old life before Tokyo-3. Slowly he walked down the street, taking in the look and the silence of the environment. It was like a distant memory now. His teacher was gone; the place where he used to live was likewise nothing more than a bone yard for the Evangelions or the grotesque monster that took on Rei's features.  
  
Shinji looked away from the buildings and at the road again. She was gone and he didn't want to think about her, or anything that had to do with her. Rather, Shinji refocused on what he was intending to do here. He and his companions needed to find food, but again, there was only a limited amount of food left. Over the days they kept finding food that was in varying but increasing levels of spoilage. Apples, tomatoes, and most other fruits and vegetables were now brown or black, and the occasional potato was nested in a jungle of it's own roots.  
  
Shinji stopped and looked sidelong at something beyond a chain link fence and his eyes lit up. On the other side of the fence was a thick, wild growing vegetable garden. Somewhat in shock at his good fortune, Shinji staggered over to the fence and peered through at the small, edible paradise. All other gardens that he had found for awhile now had become wilted with neglect, having only managed to survive with the constant help an individual with a green thumb. But this place must have been having a very successful month of weather in order to survive so well.  
  
Shinji climbed over the fence and approached the garden in order to admire it. There were so many different kinds of produce sprouting from the ground and it was difficult to determine what plant was what. Shinji decided not to bother with the details and unbuttoned his shirt. It felt good to have his shirt off again, losing the weight off of his shoulders and feel the cool sea air touch his back. But he was also happy that he had made a wise choice in his selection of apparel. The red shirt was similar to the one he originally wore most of the time, however, that one was lost somewhere in the depths of Asuka's possessions. Considering what the shirt had gone through and whom it was with now, he had opted to let Asuka keep it.  
  
Laying out the shirt on the ground, Shinji began to carefully pick foods off of the vine, stem, branch, or whatever else they hung on and pulled up a couple of others from the ground. He then took the four corners of the shirt and the sleeves and tied them together to from a makeshift sack. Shinji started to make his way back to the beach where Shigeru and Asuka were waiting, only deviating into a convenience store in order to pick up some water.  
  
When Shinji reached the beach, he found Shigeru and Asuka relatively quiet. The music was softer and less energetic than it was earlier and was simply a cool melody. Asuka had finally gotten over the argument and now was quietly reading her book. There was often a saying that when things are quiet in the jungle, something unpleasant was going to happen, and although the amount of vegetation on the shore was sparse, Shinji couldn't help but imagine that this too was a jungle of sorts. He approached.  
  
"Took you long enough." Asuka grumbled, sitting up. "So what did you get anyway?"  
  
"It's strange, but I found a garden that wasn't dried up and dead." Shinji put the shirt full of vegetables down on the sand and undid the knot, revealing the bounty for his companions to see.  
  
"Yes, it seems that this area has been getting some pretty good weather, unlike the rest of the coast line." Shigeru tapped his chin, observing Shinji's harvest from the rock. "But to have weather like this long enough for these vegetables to grow so well..."  
  
"Forget about it, let's just eat." Asuka reached into the pile and grabbed a carrot. Although it wasn't a foreign food to her, she didn't like the black clods of dirt still clinging to it. She grabbed a corner of the shirt the rest of the food rested on and wiped away the soil.  
  
"Hey! Don't do that!" Shinji blurted out. Asuka glanced up at him but continued to clean the carrot off, despite that it bothered him.  
  
"What's the problem? This shirt is already dirty anyway. Besides, this gives you a perfect reason to get a tan." Asuka remarked. Shigeru plopped down on the sand, grabbed a tomato and took a bite out of the red flesh.  
  
"Besides, I'm sure there isn't going to be shortage of shirts wherever we go." Shigeru added, after finishing his mouthful and wiping the fruit's jelly-like innards off his chin. Shinji sighed, it seemed that this was a battle he wasn't going to win.  
  
"Hey, Shinji. Why is it that you keep buying that canned water? I'm sure we keep drinking the same brand every place that we go." Shinji blinked and looked to the six-pack he had brought along. "Couldn't you have brought some juice, or soda, or something?" 

"You know, for someone who graduated from college, you really don't seem to know much."  
  
"What the Hell does that mean stupid? I'm talking about your choice of beverage, not my education!" Asuka hurled what was left of a cucumber at Shinji's head.  
  
"Corrosion." Both Shinji and Asuka looked to Shigeru and hung onto his interjection while he finished his third tomato. "Cans or bottles of most kinds of beverages will still go bad over time. The acids added to sodas and juices for example can slowly start breaking down until it's undrinkable. And of course, certain kinds of beverages must be refrigerated to keep properly. By about this time, I'd say quite a bit of what we usually drink is no longer any good and since water is as close to neutral as it can be... Well. I think it's a excellent decision of Shinji's." Asuka gave the lieutenant an incredulous look.  
  
"With all due respect, Mr. Aoba. I don't need a science lesson." Asuka turned back to eating when a chilling breeze swept across the shore causing the trio to shiver.  
  
"The weather sure changed quickly." Shinji muttered, looking out to the ocean and at a formidable wall of dark clouds in the distance. The faint rumble of thunder met their ears. The vicious roar of a coming storm. Barely even glancing at one another, the trio broke camp, grabbing their things and taking their lunch to somewhere a little more secure for the inclement weather that was about to arrive.

* * *

The thunderclaps had grown louder and the last one felt as if it had shaken the concrete building down to its foundation. Shinji watched anxiously as the water in his glass trembled on the table.  
  
"It sounds as if it's right above the building." Shigeru murmured, looking up at the ceiling.  
  
"I never imagined a thunderstorm could get this violent." Asuka observed. She looked away from her companions and out the window where the rain pounded against the street and flickers of electricity illuminated the sky for mere moments, heralded the roar of the black clouds above.  
  
"It's a product of Second Impact, the shifting of the poles. Even after so many years, the atmosphere is still trying to recover its original air currents. Storms like this and places that never see a cloud in weeks are common now. It'll probably be that way for several more decades." Shigeru leaned back in his seat and sighed, listening to the rain and the thunder.  
  
"I sure hope you were just explaining that for Shinji's sake." Asuka grumbled. Shinji glared at Asuka.  
  
"I don't need a lesson on it either. I already understand it."  
  
"Yeah, only after he explained it to you."  
  
"This is really getting annoying, Asuka."  
  
"I don't know. I think it's kind of fun, myself."  
  
"Why don't both of you take it easy? You don't have to fight all the time." Shigeru muttered.  
  
"We're not fighting. Just so long as this idiot doesn't put down Kaji." Shinji snapped his head away from Shigeru and back at Asuka.  
  
"I didn't mean it like that, so lay off!"  
  
"Then what did you mean?" Asuka and Shinji's voices were beginning to rise again and Shigeru sighed.  
  
"Both of you just stop arguing. I'm sick and tired of you two acting like little children. Grow up, for God's sake." Shinji and Asuka glared at each other for several more minutes before Asuka snapped her head away with a snort and Shinji eased back down into his seat.  
  
Shigeru got up out of his chair and left the two where they were, wandering over to a window seat to continue to watch nature's show. The group had settled for finding shelter in a ground floor restaurant. Should complication occur, it was the easiest place to leave. Shigeru stared out at the stormy evening and the hypnotizing fall of the rain, listening to it lightly rap against the window and drown out the sound of Asuka and Shinji bickering. The young man opted not to intervene anymore, it seemed as though it was in their nature to fight, and he wasn't going to be one that would upset such a ritual.  
  
The rattling of the window caused Shigeru to look at it curiously, at first not registering what it meant. Something flickered out of the corner of his eye and he glance over to see a red traffic sign sliding down the street, propelled by an unseen force. Shigeru watched silently as the plate of metal skittered across the asphalt, seeing it pass gutters overflowing with rain. The intensity of the storm finally dawned on him as the sign finally reached the middle of an intersecting street and was lifted into the air. He snapped his head away from the window as the flat piece of metal burst through the glass, preceding the shriek of the wind. The last thing Shigeru saw was the look of surprise on Asuka and Shinji's faces as they whipped their heads around to see the explosion of glass. The metal disk struck Shigeru in the temple and everything spun into darkness.  
  
The traffic sign settled with a clatter in a corner of the dining room, seeming to sound louder that the howl of the window. Instinctively, Shinji wanted to flee, scrambling towards the bar and the kitchen. Shinji halted at the door and looked over to Shigeru's motionless form on the floor. Asuka yelled something to him, but the wind muffled it with another piercing shriek. The boy crawled on his hands and knees across the floor, using the tables and chairs and cover should more debris suddenly careen into the building.  
  
The wind tore at Shinji's clothes, seeming to try and take him away from the lieutenant's side. Kneeling over him, Shinji tried to turn Shigeru's head to look at him. The man's eyes were half-lidded and hazed. Shinji didn't exactly know what he was doing. He was not trained to treat a head injury and so something was warning him that moving the young man would be just as dangerous, but considering the speed at which the traffic sign had come, many more things could come and bring Shigeru to great jeopardy.  
  
Getting up and hunching down below the tabletops, Shinji grabbed hold of Shigeru's arm and started dragging him across the floor towards the kitchen. He could hear glass tinkling and feel small shards in his hand as they began to dig in. Shigeru was covered in the glittering pieces, but few had cut him, rather they seemed to be there to bar his rescuer. Shinji stumbled backwards and fell on his rump after getting Shigeru into the kitchen as Asuka slammed the door shut behind them. She then took over and dragged the young man clear from the doors.  
  
Asuka glared at Shinji in the dim light. She wanted to yell at him and tell him how stupid he was to do something that risky when all Hell was breaking loose. However, he did the right thing by getting Shigeru out of harm's way. Shinji knelt down beside Asuka to examine Shigeru's injuries, wincing as his hands, tender from the cuts caused by the glass after touching his thighs.  
  
Asuka looked down at the cuts on his hands and grunted. She turned away for a few moments and dragged over the bag that Shigeru always carried around. The lieutenant said he had stocked it with first aid supplies and Shinji was surprised that Asuka had found it. Apparently, she must have grabbed it as soon as the window shattered. It was amazing how quick and ready she was to get what was most important.  
  
"Stop whimpering and don't put anymore pressure on your hands or else the glass will go in deeper." Asuka said in an even tone. It didn't even sound like her, that even order didn't have any sort of anger or exasperation. If anything, Shinji would have expected Asuka to throw in a 'stupid' or 'idiot' at the end. She lightly lifted the hair on the side of Shigeru's head, allowing wave after wave of it come down until a dark line could be seen on his temple. "Scheiße!" She cursed in German. "Shigeru, if you can hear me, do not move."  
  
Digging around in the bag again she produced a flashlight and started checking for more injuries in a hurried but careful fashion. Shinji watched with fascination as Asuka hurriedly ran this medical diagnostic. He had never caught her watching any sort of medical show, her defense being that watching non-movie guts made her potato chips taste bitter. In other words, either she was doing this by ear or she actually knew what she was doing. Grabbing a bundle of clothing, Asuka slipped it under Shigeru's head as a makeshift pillow.  
  
"Shigeru? Can you hear me?" Shigeru responded with a grunt, something in Asuka's eyes flickered. She checked his pulse and asked him several more questions. Murmurs. Holding her hair back, Asuka listened to Shigeru's airway. She jumped back as he coughed.  
  
"Ouch." Shigeru wheezed.  
  
"Take it easy. I need to dress your cut." Shigeru grunted in acknowledgement. Asuka folded some gauze and pressed it against the head wound. She reached for another bandaged to tie the gauze around the lieutenants head. "Are you feeling alright?"  
  
"Yeah." Shigeru responded.  
  
"Get some rest right now, you're going to be okay." Asuka finalized the notion but taking a sweater from the bag and placing it across Shigeru's torso. Taking a long breath, Asuka wiped the sweat off her forehead with the back of her hand.  
  
"Thanks." Shigeru murmured. Asuka grabbed the first aid kit and flashlight, turning to Shinji.  
  
"Now sit still. I have to get that glass out." Shinji blinked for a moment, but the look of determination on Asuka's face showed that Shinji did not have any say in the matter. Palms pointed to the ceiling, Shinji awkwardly switched from a kneeling to a sitting position. Asuka manhandled Shinji's left arm into a lock so keep him from moving it. "And don't you dare squirm or start crying, this doesn't have to get harder than it already is." Using her arresting arm to hold the flashlight to see the boy's cut hand, Asuka produced a pair of tweezers and carefully started to pick out glass. Shinji winced and took a sharp intake of breath. "Shut up, suck it up, and deal with this like a man, stupid." Shinji relaxed, both by the red headed girl's orders but also the fact that she was starting to sound like her old self.  
  
Several moments later and Asuka was done and Shinji's hands were bandaged up. The boy looked down at the strips of white cloth bound over his palms. He could still feel the sting of the antiseptic spray and winced as he moved his wrist. Asuka rested her back against a counter, listening to the wind shriek outside. Shigeru was still lying where Asuka had left him, his breath slow and even in a light sleep.  
  
"I didn't know you knew first aid." Shinji whispered, not wanting to disturb Shigeru's rest. Asuka glanced up at him but immediately looked away, finding the toe of Shigeru's shoe a more interesting subject to look at.  
  
"You really don't know anything, do you?" She grumbled.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"About being an EVA pilot." Shinji blinked. Where on Earth did this subject come up?  
  
"Pardon?"  
  
"All properly-trained EVA pilots are supposed to know the basics of first aid. At least Wonder Girl and I knew." She glared at Shinji with that same look of hatred that came from a cryptic source. It was frustrating to deal with Asuka especially when she got like this because it meant she was getting worked up all over something he had no control over. Shinji was tempted to change the subject, but that was a tricky endeavor.  
  
"Well, I never really got the chance. I was just thrown into the entry plug without-"  
  
"Don't start bragging." Asuka hissed. "You're already unbearable enough as it is. I don't need you to be anymore of a jackass." Shinji looked to Shigeru.  
  
"Is he going to be alright?" Asuka shrugged and Shinji caught it out of the corner of his eye. It seemed disturbing that Asuka seemed to care so little for the well being of their companion.  
  
"He took a projectile to the head. Looked like it only gave him a cut and knocked him silly. I can only guess he'll be okay unless we find a physician that can properly take care of him."  
  
"And maybe see why you're always sick." Shinji added. Asuka wanted to shoot something back, but she conceded with a sigh. She then looked away for a moment.  
  
"You hear that?"  
  
"Hear what?"  
  
"The wind just stopped. I think the worst part of the storm is over." Asuka began to rise.  
  
"Wait, Asuka, what if this is-"  
  
"Scheiße!" Asuka hissed as her armed bumped into a small radio. Clattering onto the tile floor, the thing squealed to life.  
  
"-'Love für Sie', wir fangen jetzt einen minuziösen lernabschnitt dreißig für ankommende sendungen an. Dieses ist Radio Wien, Österreich. Heraus unterzeichnen." Shinji and Asuka's jaws struck the floor at relatively the same time. Asuka slowly knelt down to the now silent radio and picked it up with trembling hands.  
  
"That was in German?" Asuka nodded to Shinji's question.  
  
"They're under radio silence for the next thirty minutes, they're waiting for incoming calls from other sources."  
  
"So this means that there are other people somewhere?" Asuka rolled her eyes.  
  
"Obviously."  
  
"So... What do we do now?"  
  
"You really are stupid. We now wait for Shigeru to rest up, the storm to pass, and then we pack up and get and move on."  
  
"'And move on'? To where?"  
  
"Austria. That's where this broadcast is from." Shinji blinked.  
  
"A-are you serious? That's half a world away."  
  
"Going to someplace where they are people is better than waiting for them to show up." Shinji nodded. It made sense. Shinji leaned back with a sigh and looked up at the ceiling for a moment before lolling back to looking to Asuka, who seemed to be staring intently at the radio. She seemed more energized after hearing that radio broadcast. As if new life had been breathed into her. Shinji had always sensed I kind of growing reluctance in Asuka to go back to Germany when they were in Tokyo-3. But it seemed as thought the promise of returning to Europe was good news.  
  
She must have been homesick and Shinji envied her. At least she had a place she really could recognize as her home. As for Shinji, he never felt as though he was ever home. Even though Misato had convinced him that his home was in Tokyo-3, with her and Asuka, it never felt quite right. The only comfort it gave was the feeling of familiarity, but he could see through the transparent fact that Tokyo-3 was only a temporary safe haven. Many nights he often would lie there, stark awake, wondering what the future would hold when NERV and Misato finally abandoned him. Though he never expected this.  
  
Shinji never expected to find himself in this world that seemed so familiar and inviting, but was all the while alien and, in some ways, hostile. And now he was going to a place where there were people. But they were likely those he didn't know, and probably would never know. He was going to be going to where Asuka had grown up. Although there were thousands of miles between where they were and where Austria was, Shinji could not help sensing a deep foreboding. This was the kind of feeling he got when he received his summons to come to Tokyo-3.  
  
If this deep foreboding was like it was when he first came to the home of Unit-01, then Shinji knew many more challenges awaited him in the future.  
  
_**To Be Continued...**_  
  
Author's Note  
First and foremost, for those of you who speak German fluently, I apologize for my horrid mangling of the language in this fan fiction. And for those of you who don't know a lick of German beyond Asuka's outbursts, you don't need to get worked up either. I believe language will take on a large role in the later chapters, and it helps to maintain some mystery.  
I also like to thank those of you who sent in reviews. Thank you for your support. 


	4. Easy Go

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. I own all original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 4: ...Easy Go  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"_

"Why the Hell are you stopping?" Shinji didn't respond to the question, standing stark still, he stared down the street past Shigeru and Asuka. The boy couldn't place why things were bothering him so much. Everything was as it ought to be. The air was occasionally rumbling with the sound of the ocean in the distance, no birds sounded, but the trees all around were rustling by the breeze. The sky was spotted with clouds. The sun shone with its early morning brightness. Nothing seemed unusual.  
  
Shigeru waved his hand in front of Shinji's face. Trying to get his attention. The boy blinked and glanced over at the lieutenant, still leaning against a sturdy walking stick he had salvaged from the forest. Shinji looked away and towards an impatient Asuka, whose bouts with nausea had ending quickly in the day giving way to her usual, spiteful self.  
  
"It's nothing." Asuka forced out a long, exasperated sigh.  
  
"Wouldn't you know that it's the healthiest in the bunch actually turns out to be the slowest." She turned back towards the road. "I want to at least reach a city before we have to turn in for the night." The redhead scanned the gravel road street and the meager wood plank houses that flanked it. The small village looked rustic, with its long trails cutting through stands of trees. A few lonely power and telephone lines gave the place a somewhat modern look along with the numerous pipes sticking out of the ground. No matter what country it was, Asuka knew that life in rural areas was unbearable. This was not a place she wanted to stay in for long.  
  
Something rustled in the grass and Asuka glanced to a spot between two houses. When she looked back, she took a sharp intake of breath and stumbled backwards into an equally surprised Shinji and Shigeru. The trio looked around themselves as a small mob began to grow around them, armed with gardening hoes, spades, baseball bats, and other improvised weapons.  
  
The people at the front of the circling mob, closest to the three intruders, eyed them warily, tightly gripping their weapons and shifted the weight on their feet. Asuka could count a total of about twenty-five people, mostly men, but also a few young women were also present. However, the number and composition of the mob quickly fell away into the flurry of other panicked thoughts in the redhead's mind. So many people had appeared so suddenly. Combined with the fact that they were brandishing tools as weapons and all the trio had was a stick, it made her alarmed.  
  
The stand off was silent for several moments, the trio not wanting to make a single misstep for fear of a violent reaction, and the mob seemed to be considering the next move to make. Shinji swallowed hard, the tension already causing him to grow weary. Asuka scanned the crowd again and licked her lips, feeling her body tense and coil like a snake. If these people were going to attack, she would have to fight tooth and nail to survive. She took on more formidable enemies in the Angels and the EVA series, like Hell was she going to lose to a violent crowd.  
  
"Asuka?" The redhead started and looked around, sparing a fleeting glance at Shigeru and Shinji to see if they were the ones who spoke up. The crowd too, seemed to begin to ease up and look among themselves until a column of them parted to allow a middle-aged man through. Out of breath, the man dabbed at his forehead with a hankerchief. He murmured something in another language and several of the crowd's members lowered their weapons. The rest followed suit.  
  
"Do I know you?" The phrase carried a hint of uncertainty rather than disdain. Asuka's brow furrowed in puzzlement. After taking a few more breaths, the man stood up and adjusted his glasses. Balding on top with graying hair on the sides and on his beard, he looked like an international college professor. The man gave Asuka a white, toothy grin, which only confused the girl even more.  
  
"It's only been two years, Asuka, have you already forgotten me?" Asuka slowly shook her head, but something clicked in and Shinji saw the girl's eyes light up and her cocky grin return as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.  
  
"Ich erwartete sie, doktor, tot zu sein." This made the older man laugh and Asuka grinned wider. The older man came up gave Asuka's hand a mighty shake and a pat on the shoulder. By this time, everyone in the mob felt the situation had been defused, much to Shinji and Shigeru's relief. The defenders exchanged glances at each other and watched as Asuka and the old man spoke animated to each other in German. The crowd dissolved with only a few still lingering, still afraid that the newcomers would cause trouble.  
  
"So, Asuka who is this." Shigeru interrupted. Asuka seemed to glow with happiness as she grinned at Shigeru.  
  
"Mr. Aoba, Ikari, I would like you to meet my favorite college professor and associate of mine, Doctor Allan Powell." The older man gave a courteous bow to the two.  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet you." Shinji and Shigeru bowed in response, Shigeru having to abbreviate it, leaning against his walking stick. Shinji realized that this was probably the first time he actually was bowing during a social meeting with someone. In fact, the only other time he ever did bow as at the beginning and end of class at school. It felt archaic but at the same time very civilized and adult.  
  
"It is a pleasure to meet you, Doctor Powell."  
  
"I must apologize for the... Hospitality." Powell stated, looking around and the remainder of the village's defenders. "The few people who have come through this area were not always very friendly." Shinji had already been awe struck at how many people were in the village already, but this news forced him to speak.  
  
"You mean there are more people?" Powell nodded, not minding the interruption, but Shinji could feel Asuka staring daggers at the boy. Shinji avoided eye contact with the German girl, taking a casual interest at the last few spots of white on his filthy sneakers, paying no attention as more formalities were passed between Shigeru and Powell. He didn't notice when they started to leave the scene with Asuka.  
  
"C'mon Shinji! Get a move on!" Asuka barked. Shinji snapped his head up and jogged behind the group as the ventured deeper into the village.

* * *

The stool skittered over the tile floor and Powell squatted onto it, shining a pen-light into Shigeru's eyes. Shinji once more scanned the well-furnished kitchen that Powell did most of his work in.  
  
Asuka was leaning over the little leather book of hers again, poring over it. Either there was a lot of information, or Asuka was reading very slowly, having spent weeks on it and from the looks of it, only getting a third of the way through the passages. Shinji had constantly wondered what it was in the book that had captivated her so, but again, it was safer to guess than to find out by any means.  
  
"You are very lucky, Mister Aoba." Powell observed, raising his voice so that his patient could hear. "Two more inches to the left and that hub cab would have crushed your temple." Shigeru gave a grunt of alarm which caused the old man to chuckle. "And from what supplies you said you had, I think this is a very good dressing job." Out of the corner of Shinji's eye, he could see Asuka take special interest in a particular item on the page of her book.  
  
Shigeru took a sharp intake of breath as Powell wiped a cotton swab across the gash. He redressed the bandage and turned around to look at Shinji. Without being prompted, Shinji presented his bandaged hands. The man unraveled the dressing. "Your hands are almost raw? What happened?" Shinji looked down at the bloody cuts and winced. Everything about blood disgusted him, even worse was how similar it was to LCL and learning to cough out lungs full of the stuff was not the most enjoyable thing to learn. The very thought of it made Shinji's face contort.  
  
"The idiot cut himself on some broken glass when Shigeru got hurt." Asuka mumbled. Powell nodded.  
  
"No doubt trying to save your friends?" Powell proceeded to examine Shinji's hands. Again, the work has been meticulous and Powell only needed to apply clean bandages. Tired of sitting around watching, Asuka picked up her book and was halfway to the living room before Powell stopped her. "I've heard that you've been sick a lot over the past few weeks."  
  
"Food poisoning. Shinji isn't very reliable in finding food that hasn't gone bad."  
  
"No matter, I am a physician so I should ensure that you are alright too, Asuka."  
  
"He's right. It would be nice to actually find out whether or not it is just food poisoning." Shigeru added. Asuka planted her hands on her hips.  
  
"What's that supposed to mean?"  
  
"Why don't you two boys wait in the living room." Powell suggested. Shigeru nodded and took Shinji with him out of the room.  
  
Afternoon sunlight bathed the living room in pleasant white light. Shinji had been quite surprised at how spacious the home was, but considering the fact that Powell was a doctor, it was always best to keep a medical officer happy. Shigeru had said that a place like this would have only been affordable to a wealthy person. Shinji sat down on the couch whilr Shigeru took to an armchair. The two were quiet for several moments, Shinji taking an interest in the fabric on the sofa and Shigeru the ceiling.  
  
"I'm still in shock." Shigeru murmured.  
  
"From what?"  
  
"That we found a community of people. Seeing as it was a week before I met you and Asuka, I thought it would take months before we found another person, let alone a village's worth. What the Hell am I saying? For all I know, it could have been a month. I don't even know what day it is today."  
  
"I never really thought Asuka would have a professor as a friend. It seems like a weird coincidence that we happened upon him after that storm."  
  
"It's not uncommon for college graduates to actually make friends with some of their teachers. Often when you like and respect the teacher enough, you have a better time understanding them and getting better grades. At least, that's how I figured it out."  
  
"But, Asuka and I showed up in Japan..."  
  
"I was in around Japan too when things went to the crapper and I found myself in China."  
  
"But that's probably only a couple hundred miles difference, if Doctor Powell is from Germany, then either he's a long ways away from home before or after the incident."  
  
"The incident? Shinji, I think it would be safe to say that was Third Impact. The MAGI computers said it was Third Impact, Maya said so, and from what-" Shigeru stopped and shook his head. "I don't remember."  
  
"I think that's how we all feel. Everyone seems to have forgotten what happened, even Asuka and I. Something tells me I don't want to remember, because whatever happened, it changed me."  
  
"It's like you're looking through a different set of eyes?" Shinji nodded.  
  
"I wonder if everyone else feels the same way."  
  
"When Second Impact occurred, Shinji, it caused a lot of people to do a significant amount of soul searching. It felt like a miracle that so many nations actually admitted that something was wrong with their relations to one another and that they actually went about settling their differences by focusing on everyone's problems, rather than their own internal agenda."  
  
"Causing the rebirth of the United Nations, right?" Shigeru nodded.  
  
"It was only after the worst human tragedies that nations would actually put an effort in trying to be humanitarian. After every one of the world wars a new peace committee had been formed. The League of Nations and the United Nations, however, when push came to shove, they never managed to work out until after Second Impact."  
  
"Are you sure that the world will be able to recover? Let alone trying and make a better society? We've been traveling for over a month and most of the places we found were simply a wasteland. And here we have found a small pocket of humanity."  
  
"You think we're back to the dark ages?"  
  
"What! You can't be serious!" The sound of Asuka's screeching voice from the kitchen caused both young men to jump. "Mein Gott, nein! Ich kann nicht zutreffend sein!" Shinji was already to his feet and dashing towards the door to the kitchen when he heard the sound of a door slamming in the distance.  
  
"Asuka?" Shinji poked his head into the kitchen. The German girl was nowhere to be seen and Doctor Powell was leaning against the table, his gray brow furrowed in thought. "Doctor Powell, what happened?"  
  
"You should probably leave her be for now, Ikari. I think she's been in enough distress now."  
  
"Why? How sick is she really?" Powell looked at Shinji and looked directly into his eyes for a long moment. The old man's gray eyes seemed to pass right through Shinji and the boy did his best to resist from shuddering under the gaze. After a few moments, the stare softened and he looked away and back to the empty seat that Asuka had recently occupied. She had left the journal behind. "I'll watch over that for now, if you don't mind." Powell announced, nodding towards the leather book.  
  
"Alright." Shinji didn't feel the need to stop him. He felt that Asuka would be more willing for her professor to handle her things than he. He returned to the living room where Shigeru was sitting bolt upright.  
  
"What was that all about?" Shinji shook his head in response.

* * *

Reddening sunlight bled through the window panes of the house's second story. Shigeru stared at his silhouette on the carpeted floor and back out the window at the village. The people here were a very silent and somber bunch, they were almost wordless when they gathered around Shigeru and the children, but now the silence was like that of a vacuum. It was as if they were zombies. But then again, Shigeru should have expected them to act this way. The lives they lived were ultimately gone, and Shigeru was certain that things could never be the same again.  
  
Shigeru had been involved with NERV for so long, that it was difficult for him to imagine what life was like outside of Tokyo-3. Even the most common of the fortress city's inhabitants were alien to him. When he knew and felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders, Shigeru knew that he couldn't be the carefree college graduate he was. At that time he saw his life with so much optimism, having believed that the greatest hurdle of his life, Second Impact, was long since passed.  
  
"Why did I even join NERV in the first place?" Shigeru wondered aloud. Saying such things made him think of Shinji. For such a young boy, he was carrying a lot of responsible on his shoulders. He seemed much more capable of dealing wtih the pressure than Asuka could.  
  
The reasons were evident when they were relaxing on the beach a couple of days ago when a tropical storm blew in. Had Shigeru not intervened when he did, he was sure that the two children would have come to blows and there would have been a possibility that things would go too far. Most of the time when they argued, it seemed like the thing siblings would do. But both of them seemed unstable, before and after Third Impact. Shigeru's childhood was never as complicated, even with Second Impact, but these children, this generation, would likely have misgivings about whether or not the world could end any day now. Coupled with teen angst, Shigeru could imagine a rise in teenaged suicides. This may very well be how the world ends.  
  
Someone knocked on the frame of the open door, Shigeru turned and started.  
  
"Asuka... Are you alright?" The redhead nodded slowly.  
  
"I need to talk." Shigeru frowned. He never expected Asuka having the need to confide in someone ever before. This must be something serious. Already trepidation nagged at him. He felt like he was being forced to take on a fatherly figure again for the two children. Neither of them had parents anymore and Shigeru reasoned that Asuka was coming to him because she had been around him long enough to at least trust him a little. Again, another achievement with new responsibility.  
  
"This is about what Doctor Powell told you, isn't it?"  
  
"Uh-huh." Asuka closed the door and sat down on the foot of the bed. Shigeru swung his feet over the side and sat next to her. The redhead was quiet for a long moment and Shigeru allowed her to be, not wanting to push her. As the silence prevailed, Shigeru started thinking over Asuka's symptoms in order to determine what else, other than food poisoning could have gotten at the poor girl. It only took a moment for it to click in and Shigeru mentally kicked himself for not realizing it sooner.  
  
"When... When did it happen?" Shigeru breathed. His throat was dry and he knew that he was now in one of the worst situations for a parent to be in. Asuka shook her head.  
  
"God, I don't know... That's what makes this so hard." Asuka murmured, covering her eyes with her hand. "Everything was so normal. How could this have happened to me?" Shigeru was about to ask another question, but he already knew she wouldn't have an answer to that either. There was another still silence.  
  
"Was the doctor certain?" Asuka dropped her hand and stared at the opposite wall, her brow creased with worry.  
  
"Something could have happened during my depression, something else that I don't remember. Doctor Powell knew it and said that there was little doubt. He's a professional, he couldn't be wrong." Shigeru wanted to make Asuka feel better about what was going on, but he couldn't think of a way. This was also stressful for him. Again the silence gave way to contemplation which only led to even more disturbing possibilities. Shigeru swallowed hard.  
  
"Don't worry Asuka... You can get through this. If you want I will go talk to Doctor Powell for you. You get some rest."  
  
"Doctor Powell isn't here. He's out checking on other people in this damn village. I wish we never came here!"  
  
"Hey! Us coming her or not doesn't change what has happened. In fact, it's better than you know what's going on other than wondering until it's too late."  
  
"Too late? For what? My life was ruined thanks to that idiot Shinji and now I'm doomed. It's over."  
  
"Don't talk like that! You're the girl who managed to take an Evangelion and get control of it without any natural talent. You managed to win a round against the EVA series. You've gone through worse Miss Sohryu, and you can keep going." Asuka looked up at Shigeru and for a moment, the lieutenant thought he could tell that even though she was a young adult now, Asuka was still a child deep down. Just as soon as she had done so, Asuka looked away and back to the floor. Shigeru got up and touched Asuka's shoulder. You rest, I'll sleep downstairs. Asuka nodded and Shigeru turned away.  
  
Something outside thundered over the roof of the house, both Asuka and Shigeru looked outside to see a black helicopter rush through the crimson sky. Their jaws dropped in unison upon the spectacle and their eyes bugged out as two more followed the first as they blitzed over the air space of the town.  
  
"Mein Gott." Asuka whispered as lines were dropped from the idling helicopters and dark figures slip their way down to earth. Shigeru frowned. Immediately he knew that things were going to be messy.  
  
"Asuka, we have to get going." Shigeru grabbed the girl's arm but she violent pulled herself way.  
  
"What the Hell are you talking about? Go where?"  
  
"Those men are not coming down to have tea with us, this is likely going to get violent. We need to leave and find someplace safe to go, until we find out what's going on." Asuka frowned and looked to the helicopters outside one last time before following Shigeru down the stairs and through the back door.  
  
One of the helicopters screeched over the heads of the two and immediately turned around to get a better look. Not even caring to try and hide, Shigeru and Asuka bolted across the back lawn and between two buildings close together. They could hear the sound of the beating chopper blades grow louder as the vehicle was no doubt pursuing them.  
  
Running across a dirt street and into another alley, Shigeru rammed his way through a back door and ushered Asuka inside. Asuka crouched low as she heard the helicopter hover up over them, swaying in the air, trying to see where they ran off to. Soon the sound faded and the chopper flew somewhere else. Shigeru was taking mouthfuls of air into his lungs and his head was pounding.  
  
"Why, are they here?" Asuka gasped.  
  
"Round up? Extermination? I have no idea. Last time I checked, the military just shot everyone in sight." Memories of the images on the NERV surveillance cameras came back. The Japanese invasion forces were vicious and heartless, killing even those who were surrendering. They did it out of fear, no doubt, but what was there to fear from a village of people? Shigeru looked at Asuka and considered that they were after the pilots again. "Dammit! Where did Shinji go?"  
  
"He said he went for a walk... God, the idiot always has to get himself into trouble."  
  
"If they find him..." Shigeru seethed, remember the same line coming from Misato before she ran off to save her charge. He remembered seeing her on the cameras charge headlong at three armed soldiers. She was as ferocious as a bear and Shigeru didn't want her sacrifice to be in vain. "Asuka, I'm going to find Shinji. I want you to get to the woods as fast as you can and keep running, get as far away from here as possible. Go west, Shinji and I will try and find you by morning."  
  
"Are you insane?" Asuka cried.  
  
"Maybe. But just stay alive, kid." Shigeru gave the redhead a faint smile and slipped through the backdoor and outside again. Asuka stood still for several seconds, hearing the lieutenant's footfalls grow faint.  
  
"Damn them, they always leave me at the worst possible time." Asuka growled. "Please be alright Doctor Powell." Asuka stood up, counted to ten and ran out the door and out the opposite end of the alley.

* * *

Shinji pressed his back against the wall and peered from behind the building. Sweat poured from his forehead as memories of running the gauntlet through the invasion forces at NERV headquarters flooded his mind. No shots had been fired here, but the soldiers were aggressively fanning out and barking orders in a language that Shinji didn't understand.  
  
Shinji didn't understand what was going on, all he knew was that things would probably get worse before they got any better. He decide not to linger any longer and ran towards Doctor Powell's house. He needed to make sure that Shigeru and Asuka were okay.  
  
Turning a corner in the street, Shinji skidded to a halt, kicking up dust, as a pair of the soldiers rounded the opposite corner and spotted him. They yelled out, but Shinji immediately spun around and ran, ducking into another alleyway. He could hear the two men give chase and Shinji pumped his legs even hard down the corridor.  
  
Snapping around another corner, Shinji slammed into a chain link fence and without so much as a moment to think about it, he gripped the metal mesh and started clambering up and over. He could feel the healing cuts on his hand tear open again and his mind screeched with pain, but the thundering of his heart and the fear of being caught by the mysterious soldiers propelled him onwards. Swinging over the other side, Shinji landed on the hard packed dirt and winced as the impact strained his joints. Again, his body went into autopilot and he charged forward, hearing the soldiers roaring at him as they tried to negotiate the barrier.  
  
The boy's legs burned as he continued his sprint down the streets and through the alleyways. Praying that he would be able to get away from this nightmare. The pain from his body and the noise of adrenaline rushing through him caused the figure to remain undetected as Shinji plowed into him and could feel the person grab his shoulders. Shinji tried to shove the clinging soldier away and yelled out.  
  
"Hey! Shinji, stop it!" Shinji froze and looked up to see a grim Shigeru looking down at him. "I'm not a soldier. So cool it." The boy was dumbfounded for several more seconds before the rumble of one of the helicopters signaled it's approach. The lieutenant cursed and dragged Shinji into an alleyway as the metal bird passed over them.  
  
"Where's Asuka?" Shinji mumbled.  
  
"I told her to make for the edge of town when I went to find you. Hopefully, she's found a hiding place. Now we just have to get out here." Shigeru poked his head out and looked around. "Clear. Let's go." The lieutenant lead the way and Shinji cautiously followed.  
  
Coming down one road, it only took a short time before the pair could see the tree line below a steep drop. Shinji looked down the slope and looked at the older man, pleading with him that they didn't have to go down the drop. Shigeru looked around, trying to see a place where the decline wasn't as severe. His survey was cut short as he heard voices behind them and approaching. Shinji's pursuers were now followed by two more troops and they were approaching quickly.  
  
"Get going." Shigeru murmured.  
  
"No, I don't want to leave you here."  
  
"You stupid kid." Shigeru grabbed Shinji's shirt and shoved him towards the drop, the boy stumbled, fell, and tumbled down the hill. A pang of worry struck Shigeru wondering if he did the right thing, but being safe and hurt was a lot better than getting caught. Shigeru faced the soldiers and raised his hands as they brandished their guns at him. One immediately looked down the hill to see a disoriented Shinji stumbled away from the bottom and towards the trees. The soldier was reached for a microphone receiver on his wrist but before he could say anything, Shigeru dropped his armed and threw a hook at the man.  
  
The moment the punch connected, two of the other men grabbed the lieutenant's arms and the stock of a rifle struck the back of Shigeru's head. Falling into darkness was starting to become familiar for the young man.  
  
The struck soldier nursed the swelling bruise on his jaw and looked from the fallen man to the boy running for the woods. The child was long since gone and the trooper growled in frustration.

* * *

Shinji had no idea how long he had been out in the woods, but nightfall had finally arrived and the soldier's flares no longer lit the night sky. They had given up their search for him. With that happy thought, Shinji leaned against a tree trunk and gave a long, drawn out sigh and stared up at the branches and the stars above.  
  
He wasn't able to find Asuka, and after getting to the bottom of the bluff, he had lost track of his friend. No doubt the soldiers got to him. Shinji closed his eyes, no doubt he was dead now too. It felt like the prelude to Third Impact all over again. Everyone that Shinji knew was slowly being killed off at an excruciating pace and he had no control over it.  
  
The meager starlight allowed Shinji to see in the faint darkness and he stared down at his right hand and flexed it. He always did so when he was stressed, but it felts as though the nerves were finally burned out, dead from overuse. The cuts had finally clotted after staining the new dressings. Shinji just stared at his palm in the darkness. The sound of a twig snapping caused Shinji to immediately spin to his left and look to see where the noise had come from. Shinji's breath caught in his throat and his eyes darted over the numerous shadowy shapes, trying to pick out the stalker.  
  
Cold fingers grasped his shoulder and another set over his lips before he could cry out. Fear overtook Shinji again and his tried to break free.  
  
"Stop making so much noise, idiot." Asuka hissed. Shinji froze for a minute and twisted his way out the girl's grip and snapped around.  
  
"Asuka! You-" Asuka motioned him to be quiet and immediately Shinji stopped rambling. Under most circumstances, she would simply yell louder in order to make him stop, however this change helped to make it clear just how dire the situation was.  
  
"Where's Shigeru?" Asuka whispered. Shinji looked away.  
  
"They got him."  
  
"You're useless." The girl grumbled and looked away. There was a long pause and Shinji simply stared down at the ground.  
  
"What do we do now?" He murmured. Asuka stared at him for several seconds before closing her eyes.  
  
"There's no way we can help those already found. They're probably dead now."  
  
"Don't say that." Shinji said in a whining voice.  
  
"I'm being realistic, stupid. Whatever the reason that those soldiers showed  
up, it wasn't just to fly down and tell us that we need to follow the Yellow Brick Road to the Emerald City." Shinji frowned, he had never heard that expression before and began considering that the stress of the scenario was started to affect her mentally. Asuka immediately detected it and looked away. "Never mind." Shinji looked back down at his feet again until he heard Asuka walking away.  
  
"Wait, Asuka, where are you going?" Asuka stopped and looked over her shoulder.  
  
"I saw the helicopters leave and fly north. The town is deserted. We need to get our stuff and continue on to Vienna. It's the only place we know to go." After a few moments of reluctance, Shinji followed after Asuka. They stopped as they heard a low rumble in the sky. At first Shinji thought it was the helicopters again, but this one was longer and lower. He spotted Asuka looking skyward and he followed her gaze and a large black, triangular shape fly high in the sky, red and white running lights defining it's shape. Just as soon as it was there, it was gone again.  
  
**_To Be Continued..._**  
  
Author's Notes  
This was probably the most difficult chapter to write and by far my worst. This is also the first real action scene I have ever wrote and I don't really like it. However, I am quite satisfied that it has delivered all of the plot elements I wanted to introduce including the short lived original character, Doctor Powell. There really isn't that much else to say. Sorry for those who might not like the fact that it's so short. 


	5. Deathmatch

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. I own all original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 5: Deathmatch  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"_

Shinji gave out a yelp of surprise as he was pressed up against the wall, but he wasn't as afraid as he was anxious, staring into the twin pools of blood that seemed to gently pierce his. The other boy smiled gently.

"It is alright that I make such a bold approach, isn't it?" The boy asked. Shinji swallowed. He slowly nodded and a look of concern played upon the pale young man's face. "It's alright? Or it isn't? A simple gesture such as that doesn't help me determine whether you're permitting me to, Shinji. Tell me, I want to hear your voice." 

"It's fine for you to do this. I don't mind." Shinji whispered, however the wavering in his voice caused his colleague to even be more concerned. He drew close until Shinji could hear his breath against his ear.

"Do I scare you?" The boy breathed. Shinji could feel himself tensing as the young man snaked his arms around him in an embrace that caused his heart to start beating harder. The boy's body didn't feel warm against Shinji's; it almost felt as though was simply at room temperature. It was far too cool for the human body if he could remember his biology lessons.

"No." Shinji murmured as he began listing the chemicals of the digestive tract in his head.

"Then why are you so hesitant to give back my affections. Do you not love me?" The blood pools returned to starting into Shinji's eyes and his lips went dry.

"Of course I love you." A gentle smile played across the boy's face.

"That is good." Again the boy hugged Shinji and this time, Shinji returned it. "But then... Why did you have to kill me?" Shinji's body froze as he felt the boy's body become mind numbingly cold and his fingers raking down Shinji's back tearing at the clothes and skin.

"I- I had no choice." Shinji whimpered as his attacks nails dugs deeper. Shinji's hands clenched into fists but he didn't fight back. He couldn't.

"Liar. You just never loved me enough." The boy through Shinji to the floor, the teenager's gentle demeanor was gone and his soft face was contorted in sharp sneer. The boy flexed his hands, his fingers darkened with Shinji's blood.

"But you said you wanted to die. You said you wanted me to live."

"Well now I want to see you die!" The boy hissed, drawing closer. Shinji was paralyzed by fear.

"Kaworu! No!" Shinji cried before the Seventeenth Angel pounced.

* * *

Shinji snapped awake with a gasp. Sweat and tears stung his eyes and he snapped them shut again only to see the feral monster Kaworu had become again. Whimpering, Shinji tried to cover his eyes to wipe away the tears and try and clear the frightening image from his mind. His fingernails dug into the skin of his forehead, but it meant nothing for the horrible nightmare. 

Shinji cried softly barely making a sound as the tears rolled across his temples and onto the pillow. Oh God, why wouldn't Kaworu let him live in peace? Why did he have to torment him and make him feel so guilty about fulfilling the Angel's request? Kaworu wanted to die, and so did NERV, and he did so, but still NERV was destroyed and Kaworu haunted him. Shinji could never seem to escape the pain.

Even with the EVAs, Shinji found pain in his achievements. When success came his way in synchronization, Asuka hated him and people got hurt because of him. When he didn't pilot EVA, everyone would get angry with him because he failed to protect them. Touji, Rei, and Asuka, they all got hurt by the Angels because he refused to do anything. It was impossible for there to be an outcome that would satisfy what Shinji wanted. No matter what he did, no matter how hard he tried, people would hate him.

If Shinji hadn't ran way from Doctor Powell's house after Asuka threw her fit, Shigeru would still be alive. Hell, even if Shinji did so, he still got a second chance if he hadn't hesitated to go down the hill towards the woods when they found it, rather than look for some other way down. Shinji's cowardice had gotten Shigeru killed. He was failing everyone and no matter what happened, they were still dying all around him and he couldn't help but be the cause of it. God, he was a monster. He was just as bad as the Angels. No, he was worse.

Shinji sniffled and coughed as some tears collected and dripped down the back of his throat. He held his breath as he heard something from the next room. Listening patiently in the silence, he could hear sobbing as if someone else was crying.

Not immediately concerned with the sounds of sadness, Shinji tried his best to recover from the nightmare and try and ensure that his surroundings were such that he didn't have to be afraid. Shinji should have known that was dreaming the minute he realized that the setting of the nightmare was Misato's apartment, even though he had only lived there for a couple of months, it was more heavily ingrained in his mind that any other place he knew... Aside, of course, from Unit-01's entry plug. Shinji shook his head and tried to take his mind away from the horrors of the Evangelion and the monstrous thing it was able to turn Shinji into.

The ground floor apartment didn't seem all that threatening, not having the least bit of resemblance to the Katsuragi residence, with several antiquities lying on shelves and any other flat, solid surface. Juxtaposed against these relics of the previous millennium, was upholstery of more modern making, including sofas and recliners. The doors were hinged and wooden, another oddity Shinji wasn't always used to, finding the sliding door a much more familiar way for portals of entry to move. No doubt however, Asuka was finding it easier to adjust to this place than vice versa.

The more Shinji thought about it, the more he realized he was dreading their arrival into Vienna and thus, Europe. As far as Shinji knew, he had lived on the Japanese Islands all his life, and it was a large enough step crossing the sea to reach China. From what he could tell, German culture had spread considerably throughout much of Europe, the work ethic and ideals becoming a valuable asset early in the post Second Impact Era. Even France, the historical foe of the Germany, as Misato had put it, had accepted German as a second language and one that every school taught, and every university required.

The distant crying fit had persisted throughout Shinji's interpretation of things. Slowly, Shinji got up and quietly slipped up to the door leading into Asuka's domain. Shinji reached for the doorknob, but stopped inches away, his hand giving a short spasm as if warning him. He stared at the limb in the mild darkness and then forming a gentle fist, softly knocked on the door.

"A-Asuka? Are you alright?" He heard a sharp intake of breath and then silence for several seconds.

"What do you want, bastard?" Asuka hissed. Shinji stood there, stunned and confused. He had never heard Asuka referred to him like that.

"I... I wanted to know if you were alright." There was another pause.

"Nothing that you would understand." Shinji's hand flinched again, the nerves that signaled his stress starting to flicker back to life. Shinji hated when Asuka got in these moods. It was one thing when she was just rude and mean, but when she was angry or depressed she became really cruel. If she ever wanted children, Shinji prayed to God that how she was acting now was only a temporary teenage phase. "Now go away." Asuka murmured.

"Asuka?"

"What?" The tone easily indicated that Shinji was wearing down on the German girl's patience.

"If there's anything you need, you can tell me. I don't want to think that you are alone in this." There was another long, drawn out pause.

"I want to be alone and I want to see you die." Shinji stared in astonishment at the wooden door, imagining a tearful Asuka tell him those very words. It wasn't just a joke or something said out of the blue, it sounded like a clear and coherent wish of hers. She wanted Shinji to die.

"Why?"

"Go away." Asuka murmured. Shinji's features tightened, he hated it when she tried to avoid his questions. She always said he wouldn't understand her, but she would always avoid her questions. Wasn't he now trying to understand her? Why did she always want to keep him so far away? She kept doing thing and pushing him closer to a breaking point, but now he would either have to vent it or burst. He didn't want to back down today.

"No..." Shinji murmured.

"Go away."

"No."

"Go away!"

"No!" It was almost like an explosion, the rumbling growl, the movement of hair, and the gas blue fires burning into his retinues from within the twisted structure of a beautiful girls scathing rage. Asuka was bearing her white teeth in a feral snarl. She seemed poised at the open door, ready to lunge forward and tear his throat out. Shinji's hand squeeze into a ball, mirroring the tension in the air, tight enough that if things reached any higher, the cuts on Shinji's hands would burst open again.

"Why won't you leave me alone, you idiot?" Asuka growled.

"Why do you want me to die?" The rage on Asuka's face turned to revulsion at the boy, looking at him as if he was responsible for the most despicable crime imaginable, whatever that was in her mind. The seconds ticked by as Asuka inspected this horrifying specimen the doorway, carefully crafted the words that made out her feelings perfectly. Shinji saw her eye twitch but he maintained a locked gaze with her, daring her to speak and be done with it.

"Because..." Asuka whispered, still struggling to form the ideas into a coherent form. "I..." Shinji held his breath for what was coming next part. "Hate..." Asuka seemed to struggling with the word, trying to force it from herself and breaking eye contact to try and focus on it.

"Me?" Shinji offered as a flat gesture. Asuka seemed to cave in. The energy keeping her body up was lost. She hung her head, her shoulders sank, and her knees bent the whole of her body seemed to come down upon them.

"Yes." She murmured. Asuka retreated and the door close in Shinji's face. He heard her begin weeping again, but this time he didn't inquire. Shinji suddenly felt tired again, and lumbered back to the couch. Lying back against the cushions, he stared at the ceiling. The tension was gone and now it seemed every pore was drained.

"She hates me." Shinji murmured, hearing the words on his lips. No matter how hard he tried to at least coexist with her. In the end, she still hated him. But why? Shinji pulled the covers up closer and closed his eyes, listening to Asuka cry herself to sleep.

* * *

Shinji leaned up against the tree trunk with a sigh, appreciating a little rest, but keeping as quiet as possible. Just past a couple of bushes he could hear Asuka throw up her breakfast. Shinji wondered when this sickness of hers would finally pass. If it weren't for the soldiers attacking that one village, Doctor Powell would likely have cured her. But then again, her reaction to the news he had given her seemed to be very serious. Perhaps what she was going through couldn't be cured. Shinji looked skyward, trying to think of what the answer would be. 

Asuka stumbled out of the brush and spat the last bit of bile out of her mouth. Shinji produced a bottle of water from his backpack. The girl immediately grabbed it, spat out a mouthful to get the rest of the acid out of her mouth and took a couple more swigs before screwing the cap on and stowing the half-finished bottle in the red jacket's pocket.

The day had been relatively cool despite the cloudless day. Shinji didn't really know what season it was now. After Second Impact and the shifting of the Earth's axis, Japan was now treated to very mild winters and all the seasons meshed together. In fact, the autumn colors of Japan never returned. Shinji remembered seeing the photos of the Japan's seasons before Second Impact, the last memories of something so beautiful that was now lost forever.

The breezy day had prompted the two children to putting jackets on, Asuka opting to put on Misato's jacket. As Shinji watched the redheaded girl, he couldn't help but admire how much more adult and strong she looked while wearing it.

"What are you staring at?" Asuka asked, eyeing Shinji. The boy looked way and at the asphalt stretch they had begun to follow. Neither of them could understand the directory names, or the cities they were approaching, but at least they knew they were still going west and from the change of scenery, it felt as though they were no longer in Asia. It was difficult to actually tell, but something deep down in Shinji knew that he was now as far from familiar things than he had ever been. "Well?" Asuka urged.

"It's nothing." Shinji responded, causing Asuka to give a snort. She turned away and started down the road again. Shinji silently followed, considering whether or not he should actually speak. After what Asuka had said the night before, Shinji knew that staying with Asuka was like flirting with the devil. Who knew what she was capable of when she got overly depressed. Again, Shinji decided to try and be strong and work it out.

"Asuka, I have a question?"

"What is it?" Asuka didn't even look over her shoulder and kept walking.

"Doctor Powell had said something to you that made you very upset. What was it he told you?" Asuka didn't respond for several minutes and Shinji thought she had ignored him and was about to ask again, when she finally spoke up.

"It's none of your business."

"I want to know, Asuka. I want to help you." Asuka stopped and sighed.

"Alright, I lied. It is your business." She slowly turned to Shinji and took a deep breath. "After the Fifteenth Angel was killed, I went into a depression." Shinji nodded. "I found myself in Tokyo-2. The last thing I remember was the secret service taking me back to Tokyo-3. But I just stopped caring."

"When they brought you back, Misato told me you went into a catatonic state. You were awake, but not. I felt guilty. That I allowed Rei to go and stop the Fifteenth Angel in my stead. Touji was taken away, Rei changed, and then there was Kaworu..."

"Who?"

"Kaworu Nagisa. He was the Fifth Child. Your replacement." Asuka cursed.

"What happened to him?" Shinji swallowed.

"He was an Angel." Asuka could already imagine what that meant. "But, he was also human. You probably won't..." Shinji trailed off again, reconsidering his words. "You were the only one that was left, the only last real pilot, the only person I could identify with. My only friend."

"You must have been pretty disturbed to regard me as a friend." Asuka retorted. The attack didn't seem to affect Shinji as he continued.

"I prayed to God that you would wake up. That this was all an act to get attention or something. That your condition was not as serious as I initially thought it to be. I came to see you every day hoping that you had recovered." There was a flicker of something in Asuka's eyes after Shinji finished.

"What did you say?" She asked. The question was quiet; Shinji wasn't able to detect the dangerous twinge at the end.

"I came to see you every day." Shinji repeated.

"I bet the nurses thought you were very nice."

"Uh... I don't really know how they felt about it."

"Probably gossiped that I was your girlfriend or something. They probably didn't notice you adjusting your pants every time you left." Shinji frowned in confusion.

"What are you-"

"So how did it start, bastard? Did it begin with just some jerk-off fantasy and then work your way up? Or were you so scared that you tried the whole thing in one visit?" Shinji was about to respond, but Asuka drew right up next to him and looked him right in the eye, and the feeling of severe hatred seemed to come from over pore of her being. It was like that evening in the apartment between crying fits when he confronted her, but now it seemed that this fiery rage was on the verge of going out of control.

"What are you talking about?" Shinji asked murmured.

"You raped me!" Asuka cried and shove Shinji backwards. The boy stumbled but caught his footing, but now the rising anger in Asuka terrified him.

"What! No! I couldn't- I never would-" The boy stammered.

"You liar! You've been waiting to do this since the day we met. Hell, even on the first day you couldn't even manage to compose yourself enough that you wouldn't peep on me while I was changing!"

"That has nothing to do with it! You were taking so God damned long to change and you were supposed to kill an Angel!"

"And what about when you were trying to kiss me?"

"That was different!"

"Like Hell it was. After all of that crap you went through, you probably wanted to kill yourself but decided by no means did you want to die a virgin, you sick son of a bitch!" Asuka lunged forward and before Shinji could react, he was stumbling backwards, but the black top disappeared before he could regain his footing and he tumbled off the highway and into the ditch.

Wincing, Shinji looked up to see Asuka quickly come down the hill in pursuit. Shinji scrambled to his feet but the redhead was already upon him and crooked fingers reached and clutched Shinji's throat. Immediately, reverting to protecting himself, Shinji grabbed Asuka's wrists to try and pull himself free of her death grip.

"Please, Asuka... S-" Shinji's cry was drowned out and became a gurgle and a cough as Asuka had but just enough force to pinch off his windpipe of a few seconds. Shinji continued to struggle with the girl, trying to free himself, but his depleting air supply and the energy used trying to get away was slowly sapping his strength. Shinji's legs buckled and he fell backward, Asuka falling with him and their foreheads colliding when they hit the solid earth.

Asuka's grip diminished slightly, having become dazed by the blow to the head. Shinji took a massive gulp of air before Asuka returned upon the attack, this time with greater abandon than before.

"Asuka, I didn't do it." Shinji wheezed, but the words fell on deaf ears as Asuka was chanting something under her breath, keeping her focused on the task of trying to kill the boy. Shinji felt her grip get even tighter. His brain was craving oxygen and began racing, flashes of things in Shinji's memory began to break the surface. Namely, his bout with the Thirteenth Angel, the one that had contaminated Touji's Evangelion

Shinji remembered he and his Evangelion in the same position, having the Thirteenth Angel bearing down on him, crushing his windpipe. Shinji had refused to fight; even though he was unsure of what fate Rei and Asuka had taken. He didn't want to hurt Touji, even if it was unlikely he was alive, Shinji couldn't just give up.

Shinji's father then initiated the used of the monstrous dummy plug, which turned Unit-01 into an unstoppable and horrible killing machine. The thing wouldn't stop until it crushed the plug and therefore sealing Touji's fate. Touji would have been all right if only Shinji chose to try and fight and if his father never started the dummy plug.

Darkness began crawling up around the corner's of Shinji's eyes, his brain starting to lapse into unconsciousness, grasping the thought of Shinji's father and how much he hated him. Something flickered and the boy thought he could hear the voice of Gendo yelling at him, proving his hatred of his own son. Within Asuka's blue, hateful eyes, Shinji could see his father. He would be damned if he didn't kill his father before he died himself.

Asuka was surprised when the boy's bony fingers wrapped around her neck and squeezed with such an intensity she didn't believe she even possessed. The look of weakness in Shinji's eyes faded as his body went into autopilot, the final shot and trying to survive, and winning out in this battle between the two survivors. Even though Asuka knew that her life was now threatened, she knew she had the advantage of being first to start strangling the boy and so could probably kill him first.

The German girl's eyes bulged as she felt her throat completely close off and released Shinji's neck to claw at his wrists. Shinji seemed to rise up, closing his grip tighter, his face contorted into a sneer of sheer rage. Asuka could feel her face turning blue. She had to break free.

Lashing out, Asuka's hand struck Shinji's face, the nails raking into the skin and cause Shinji's brain to shriek with pain. Shinji released Asuka's throat and grabbed at his cheek, hissing in pain and stumbling backwards.

Both of the combatants paused, catching their breath, glaring at each other.

"Are you insane?" Shinji hissed. The look of conviction hardened on Shinji's face.

"If I am going to have a child, I met as well let them know that their mother did a reasonably honorable things by killing the one responsible." Shinji's eyes widened with the realization of why her actions were so intense. She though he had raped her and got her pregnant.

"Dear God..." Shinji whispered, barely noticing as Asuka threw punch that squarely landed in his face, causing him to stumbled backwards. As the boy lifted his head, another blow took him to the face, causing him to fall back once more. A second fist was driven into his stomach and Shinji doubled over Asuka's hand and groaned. With a growl of disgust, Asuka shoved him away, but the boy still stood. Asuka took a deep breath expecting Shinji to use the pause to go onto the offensive. Rather, he wasted the time grating out his defense. "I didn't do it."

"Bullshit!" She responded. Asuka charged at her foe, tackling him to the ground. Straddling his chest, Asuka pulled back another punch and threw it. Then another, beating in the boy's face with reckless abandon until her knuckles felt like they would shatter.

Hot tears ran down Asuka's face, a liquid form of the sheer anger and hatred she had for Shinji coming all the way back up. She made her efforts in becoming an Evangelion pilot meaningless. She threw away the only real friendship she had with the only real person she could relate to. She had spurned away the one that was much like her brother and the only one who gave a damn about her. She gave that all up for Unit-02, for NERV, and for this sorry little bastard.

She had no victories that she could call her own. Every Angel was slain by Shinji or a combination of all of them. There was no battle that she could claim that proved of her value. Anyone would do. It was all the same with Shinji. If it weren't for that twisted little doll giving him the cold shoulder, she would never be in this situation. Damn Rei. Damn Shinji. Damn her!

The judge looked down upon the accused, both breathing heavily. The German girl noticed something in the grass just an arms span away. A large rock. Here eyes trained on the beaten Shinji, Asuka reached for it with her right hand while her left firmly gripped the boy's throat.

Grasping the rock, Asuka raised it over her head in both hands. Her features became stone cold as she prepared to land the killing blow. Her body shuddered with emotion as she continued to tell herself that she should have abandoned the Third Child on Unit-02's transport so that he could drown with the rest of those little Navy rats and never have caused her all of this torment. He should have died there.

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you. I'll kill you." Over and over, Asuka repeated that same phrase, the three words seemed to just course through her. Those words pushed her forward through her final battle with Unit-02, with her mother. She had become a dreadnought, decimating everything in her path, and when the EVA series came, she would be the Angel of Death for five minutes. If Shinji was there, she would have won. He failed her. She could have won with his help.

Memories flashed in her mind of the battle with the Seventh Angel, their constant fighting and how, somehow they managed to pull through. How they all worked as a successful team to defeat the Eighth Angel. Unit-01's rescue of her when her lifeline broke and she was about to plummet into the center of the Earth. The race for their lives against the Tenth Angel. Those battles had made her feel alive and to feel good about living.

Asuka knew the honeymoon would be over now, and now it was time to sever all ties with this horrible little boy. Even as a little girl she wanted to live alone. She didn't need anyone. She didn't want anyone, she could be alone, and all that was needed was to bring this rock down on Shinji's head. To finally be rid of him once and for all.

"I'll kill you. I'll kill you." She chanted. Shinji, his head swimming for the furious blows Asuka had thrown, looked up at her. In his eyes, Asuka could see everyone she ever knew. Her mother, her father, Kaji, Misato, Rei, Touji, and Shinji. The blood in her body exploded with a burning energy, which empowered her last roar of rage. "I'll kill you all!" Asuka brought the heavy stone back and heaved it over her head.

The rock struck with heavy thud and tumbled away, settling at the lowest part of the ditch. Asuka panted, staring at the clean stone where it lay in the grass, several meters off of it's mark. A complete miss. She could hear Shinji slowly breathing underneath her, but all she could do was stare at the stone. A simple peace of rock had managed to betray her. Or was it? Asuka stared down at her hands, not understanding why she couldn't go through will killing her tormentor once and for all.

Two shots rang out into the air and Asuka snapped her head towards the road where two men in army green coveralls stood on the road in front of a jeep. One of the men slowly lowered his pistol from a target in the sky towards Asuka and the badly beaten Shinji.

"Das ist genug." The soldier announced in German. Asuka was dumbfounded. The man motioned for her to stand using the muzzle of his gun. She did so, slowly. Asuka looked down at Shinji who stared at her, just as silent.

"Fuck you." She breathed before the second soldier grabbed by the arms and held them behind her back. She didn't resist as she felt the cold metal of handcuffs wrapped her wrists. She was lead to the jeep and sat down while the other soldier went to retrieve her victim.

At first, Asuka didn't know why she allowed herself to be captured. More than likely, her fate was going to be death. After some thought however, Asuka realized that had she actually killed Shinji in that moment, they would have killed her too. In this way she could at the very least ensure her survival. What was the point of death if both you and the one you wish to kill are both dead. Suicidal killings seemed meaningless. Somehow she would manage to get out of this and ensure that Shinji died. It was just that simple.

* * *

"Das ist, an was ich mich erinnern kann." Asuka announced frankly, leaning against the wooden table. In the darkness of the room, illuminated only by the single banker's lamp, it was difficult to see the man's features but she could tell he was nodding as he scribbling something down in the notepad on his lap. 

"Danke. Alles das ist." The man thanked Asuka and stood up to leave. Behind him, someone opened the door into the room.

"Nein. Wir werden nicht noch getan." This visitor sounded very authoritative. Asuka squinted to try and see his features in the light. The first man hesitated.

"Kapitän, ich habe bereits alle daten, die wir benötigen."

"Nein. Es gibt ruhige fragen, die antworten müssen."

"Wem sind die Hölle sie?" Asuka blurted out in her usually impudent way. This 'Captain' didn't really sound very intimidating, and as far as she could tell in the dim light, he was shorter than the first man. Likely a lower ranked officer. There was a dead silence as the captain glared at her, his eyes gleaming in the light. During the lull, the other officer slipped out of the room.

"Ich stelle die fragen, Frau." The captain breathed. From his pocket, he placed a voice recorder onto the table and turned it on before sitting down. "Now then, Miss Sohryu, I expect you to answer my questions truthfully, considering what you say will have great bearing on whether you will actually be able to leave here or not." Asuka was surprised in the captain's fluency in Japanese. "Is that understood?"

"Yes." Asuka finally responded.

"Very well. What is the purpose of NERV?" Asuka paused, not really understanding why this member of the military was asking such an elementary question.

"To produce and command the Evangelions. To protect humanity from the Angels."

"I should let you know that I am not going to be very patient with you, but I do admit that I probably phrased that question incorrectly. What is the real purpose of NERV?" The captain drew close, so Asuka's and the lamp illuminated his face. Asuka's heart froze as she stared in both surprise and terror and the person sitting across from her.  
  
**_To Be Continued..._**

Author's Notes  
I have managed to keep my chapters to about eight pages save for this one. I feel sort of bad that I didn't try to add any more information, but I felt the less I chatted during the scrap between Asuka and Shinji the more emotional it would become.

Also, I have decided to remain wordless and have responded to some of the reviews that have been sent my way. Of course, I don't dare spill the secrets of what happens in future chapters, but if you have questions about how or why certain elements of the story were added or why I interpreted things from the series and movies the way I did, feel free to E-mail me. (And yes, this means I am now disclosing my address on the site.) 


	6. Three

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. Madison Timlitt is owned by "Lady Pheaura". All other original characters are owned by me.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation  
**Chapter 6: Then There Were Three  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German translations by "Steve Vader"_

"I suppose that is it for today." The captain stated and switched off the tape recorder. Asuka let her head loll back and she sighed. Three hours in this damn dark room and having to talk non stop about every single thing that happened during her time in NERV. Worst still was that the captain was inflexible when she tried to convince him to cut her a little slack and give her a break. His damned response was to hand her a cup of water. Now, however, she would finally get a chance to speak to him, after over a year.

"So, how have things been since I was gone?"

"Third Impact. What do you think?" Was the captain's response before getting up, picking up the tape recorder and leaving. Asuka gave a snort of irritation. What the Hell was his problem anyway? The door opened again and a female attendant stepped through.

"_Fräulein Soryu?_" Asuka looked up.

"_Ja?_"

"_Bitte folgen sie mir._" The attendant asked the girl to follow her. Puzzled, Asuka followed the woman through the door and back into the metal halls of the facility. The woman walked quickly and after sitting down for so long, Asuka found it difficult to keep up for several minutes.

"_Moment. Zuerst will ich wissen was hier los ist? Was war das für ein Verhör? Wohin gehen wir?_" Trying to get the woman to slow down, Asuka started asking questions.

"_Eine einfache Sichertheitsmassnahme. Während der letzten drei Stunden haben sie einiges erklärt, dies mus nun analysiert werden._" The answers were matter of fact. She needed to stay while the interview was 'analyzed'.

"_Analysiert? Wozu?_" It seemed as though this woman was more than willing to answer her questions, but was likely buying time by making Asuka dig for what she wanted to know. At this point, Asuka knew very little. At most she assumed that she and Shinji were found by a military patrol and they had been taken to an underground military facility for processing. It seemed as though with only a couple of months a lot of influential people found their way into Europe and started getting everyone organized. The atmosphere in the facility seemed to perfectly mirror the same intensity that it did before Third Impact. Her perhaps this sensation of organization was all an illusion. Perhaps there were less than thirty people in this military base but all of them were in the areas she was coming through.

Asuka was so deep in her analysis of the facility, that she didn't notice that her guide hadn't answered her question. However, the captain's reaction to her obstinate behavior told her that pushing too many questions when they weren't welcomed wasn't a good thing. It was better than she went with the flow at this point.

"_Also, wo gehen wir hin?_" Asuka asked, trying to at least know where that flow was headed.

"_Solange der Captain oder der Kommandant es nicht anders befehlen, werden sie und Herr Ikari bei uns bleiben._" The way the woman described it, it seemed as though she was using euphemisms for saying that Asuka should expect to get very accustomed to these halls.

Out of the corner of her eye, Asuka noticed a security camera track her movements as she passed down a hall. No doubt the security center was completely occupied by people who actually cared about their jobs, and the German girl could see several armed personnel milling about, daring her to try and get away. She was a prisoner, pure and simple.

During her training in Germany, whenever there was a necessity that she had to come to one of these military bases, most of the higher officers treated her with high level of respect with regards to her size and age. She was still only a child in their eyes, but they knew that she deserved to be noticed. Asuka loved that time and hoped that it would only improve when she got the change to prove herself by destroying the Angels. Now those men were probably still chuckling in their graves.

"_Wir sind da._" The woman announced, standing in front of a door in what seemed to be the living quarters of the base. The woman pulled down the latch and allowed the door to swing open revealing a rather decent looking dormitory with a bed, a desk, sink, and lavatory.

"_Fühlen sie sich ganz wie zu Hause._" Asuka immediately stepped through and noticed her backpack sitting on the foot of the bed. She approached it and could hear the door to her room lock. She scanned the four walls. This was going to be her cell.

With a sigh, Asuka sat down on the bed and shrugged off Misato's red jacket. Throughout her interview, Asuka had been careful to ensure her right arm was hidden within the sleeve of the jacket. She felt almost ashamed of the cut, a permanent reminder of her defeat at the hands of the Evangelion series. The scar had indeed faded, but it was still noticeable, at least for her. Not wanting to dwell on her past, Asuka began to wander the room in order to better inspect her surroundings.

The entire furnishings the room held a very technological look to them, metallic, sleek, and without anything extraneous. Truly, the only thing that seemed soft was the cushions on the chair, the mattress, and Asuka herself. Everything was either a metal, a plastic, or ceramic. A pyromaniac would only have so much to burn before they would be bored stiff.

Some kind soul had left a small collection of reading material on the edge of the desk. A local newspaper dated a few weeks before she disappeared from Tokyo-3, plus books on poetry and a menagerie of other topics in English and German. Asuka didn't really have any interest in anything in the room and she settled for sitting on the bed and going over what happened in the last little while.

When Asuka heard the knock on the door, she was actually very surprised that she had a visitor this early.

"_Kommen sie rein._" She called. Asuka didn't consider this any time to try and risk escaping, after all, no doubt there was a guard standing right next to her door and she doubted she would get by fast enough before being caught. The latch turned and the captain from the interrogation stepped in. Seeing him now in the full light of the ceiling lamp, Asuka was surprised how much the boy had changed.

It felt strange that the impact from this meeting had not been stronger than Asuka had imagined. But she had so many things occur in a short period of time that she was still scrambling to recover. She could almost imagine herself, sitting stark away and screaming days from now. She kept the almost humorous thought from the surface. The atmosphere was dower the minute the captain came in.

The young man had grown significantly in the past year, no doubt experiencing his growth spurt. His brown hair was still an uncontrollable seeming to burst forward in shard-like locks to hang over his heavy eyebrows. His eyes seemed colder, narrowing in a steady scowl. Dark facial hair had started creeping down the sides of his face his chin seemed to have gotten heavier and stronger. He looked older than his fifteen years, handsomer too, but the underlying sense of wrongness of it all lingered.

"Hello Miss Sohryu." The look on his face and the tone of his voice made him sound angry, combined with his clearness with his Japanese, he seemed like an eastern officer than one from her homeland.

"Hello, Sir." Asuka responded. The captain's frowned deepened as if disappointed.

"You may refer to me as Captain Nevril."

"Whatever you want Tristan." Asuka looked away before the captain gave a snort.

"I did not give you permission to refer to me by that name." Tristan announced.

"Give it a rest, I'm not at all interested in playing on your little power trip. You're just still sore about the fact that I snapped you out of your little delusions." Asuka snapped back. Tristan closed his eyes and recollected himself by taking a deep breath.

"I'm not here to begin a shouting match with you. I have far more important things to do." Asuka gave a short laugh. Who did this idiot think he was?

"You are full of it! Now I remember why I hated you so much in the first place!" Tristan didn't respond and waited for Asuka to finish blowing off her steam. When Asuka realized that Tristan wasn't playing her game, she sat back and waited for him to start.

"You don't enjoy being cooped up in here and neither do I, but I felt it was necessary to explain to you what was going on and why you are here." A small smile cracked across Asuka's lips and she propped her head onto her hands.

"This is absolutely adorable. The little boy is playing soldier to try and impress his imaginary 'ex'."

"I am not here to play your games, Asuka! God, why do I even bother. You're still the stupid bitch you always were and not to mention a failure to humanity." Asuka's smile faded immediately.

"What?" She asked in her dangerous tone.

"The members of the Marduk Institute and the rest of the dead NERV officers are probably rolling in their graves to think a rejected little girl who's mother was nut job was going to be the savior of humanity. They probably believed that her reason for existence was to defeat the Angels but it seems that God does make garbage." Asuka's lip curled into a snarl and she began to rise.

"You lit-"

"SIT DOWN!" He barked. Asuka didn't even realize it as her bottom hit the mattress and firmly rooted itself. She was actually surprised by her own reaction to Tristan's strong voice. "You better shut up and listen to what I have to say, you worthless piece of crap! If you don't like it, all I have to do is utter one thing in German and the guard will be more than willing to drag you out of here and place you in a place more deserving for garbage like you." Asuka could almost see the burning hostility boil up inside the young man as every world dripped with steaming venom. Worst still, the words struck home and reminded Asuka of what she thought of what she really thought of herself, it was disturbing that he knew exactly what to say to make her feel like less of herself. Tristan had taken on a frightening transformation, and Asuka knew with grim uncertainty that she was in a way responsible for it.

"Alright." Asuka murmured, the tension in Tristan's voice seemed to ease and he cleared his throat.

"On behalf of the German branch of NERV, we welcome you to the New European Confederation." It sounded like a practiced line, the pleasing diction selected by someone who didn't care about the relationship between the two pilots. He or she likely thought it would be easier for her to meet him based upon their camaraderie as EVA pilots. How wrong they were.

"Confederation? Isn't it a little early to consider yourselves a political entity."

"No it isn't. Berlin has reached half of it's population capacity and we have made contact with the Union of Northern Independent Territories." Asuka looked perplexed, already Tristan was starting to babble nonsense. Tristan picked up on this. "UNIT was a nation formed simultaneously by the American Branch of NERV in North America."

"That doesn't make any sense. The American branch was destroyed in an accident while experimenting with Unit-04, wasn't it?"

"Yes and no. Because of the massive area of North America, much like Asia, there were auxiliary NERV bases , one such base placed in the Rocky Mountains in the former Canadian territories. Armed with it's own MAGI system, it became the base of operations for the reconstruction project begun six weeks ago by both branches.

"So what's left of NERV is now working to build nations out of the ruins of the old world? Why are you telling me this?"

"As a former member of NERV and one of the few people properly trained to be a pilot, the NEC wishes to request your return to the German branch. I was sent here to give you the information on the political scene in Europe now, provide you with this invitation, and watch over the confirmation of your accounts with the Japan branch."

"What's so important about the Japan branch anyway?"

"It has been deemed the source of Third Impact." Asuka blinked. This was a lot of information to take in, and it was just as difficult throwing away here original assumptions that the world would be the same. In truth, it wasn't. Asuka had been traveling for two months along the coast in the regions she originally called Asia and the Middle East. Her destination was Austria, but from the sound of it, such a place was deemed to no longer exist in the eyes of the German branch of NERV and this new NEC. Somehow, NERV managed to get the cooperation of the local military in order to provide the force necessary. How many people were actually part of this 'new order'?

"Wasn't Third Impact supposed to be the end of mankind's existence?"

"As was Second Impact, and just the same we need answers as to why it happened and who was the real cause of it."

"So I'm a suspect. Is that it?" Tristan shook his head.

"A witness is more like it. The Japan Branch has refused to give any other member of NERV any sort of information on what has been happening in Tokyo-3 since the reported attack by the Third Angel. From then on, Commander Ikari only gave the reports to the Committee and so we were left in the dark. That is why your description of the Angel and what had occurred is so important to us."

"But then you are still keeping me here, even though I am not the one you are looking for, that's idiotic!" Asuka cried. Tristan sighed.

"I wasn't the one responsible for making this decision, the commander opted for things to go in this direction and gave me no other orders except that I am stuck in this same military base until they receive the report you made and that you accept their invitation."

"And if I refuse?" Tristan shrugged.

"This is senseless! There is something you are not tell me."

"Be that as it may, we're both stuck here. Goodbye." Tristan stepped out the door and again Asuka could hear the door lock. Asuka growled and ruffled her hair. This was so stupid and illogical. She wished it was just a dream, but how could it be. She gave the report it would only take a couple of minutes to be sent and the messenger doesn't even know what will happen if she refused NERV's invitation.

Was she actually misinterpreting what Tristan had been talking about. She was considered a witness and not a suspect in NERV's investigation of Third Impact and so long as she was in this military base, Tristan had to remain. She really didn't have anywhere to go or any other reason to live other than to support NERV and so they were offering her a new lease on life. They were already aware that she would feed out of their hands. But why did they lock the door to her room? The answer came quite by accident. These soldiers thought she was dangerous.

More than likely, the two soldiers who encountered her having beaten Shinji to within an inch of his life believed that she was homicidal psychopath and they didn't want such a person wandering their base. Further, Shinji may be being treated in the same facility and they didn't want her to get anywhere near him. This new era made human life precious to them, no matter how much less of a person they are or was perceived as. If that was the case, the woman who led her to her room must have had balls of steel.

Even after figuring out the solution so quickly, Asuka still felt as though her mind was in a fog. The formation of these new nations, NEC and UNIT and the new value of NERV seemed very strange. It only helped to confirm that she didn't exist in the same post-Second Impact world she had grew up in. She was the pioneer of something different. Asuka ran her hand down to her midsection. Something very different, indeed.

* * *

Tristan could imagine the sick smile on his father's face at this very moment. Chuckling away as his son had to face the last person he ever wanted to see alive. God damn that old man. Damn him and his sick little games. God it was almost as if he and Asuka took a page from the same damn book with their manipulative natures.

Tristan tore at the clasp on the collar of the jacket as soon as the bolt to his quarters slid home. With the restricting item loosened, Tristan twisted his neck violently, meaning to only stretch the muscles but looking to be trying to tear his head off. The redheaded bitch even managed to cause him to break his cool. Even after a whole year of preparing himself for a day when their paths would inevitably cross. A year of preparation was now down the perpetual toilet and such a waste aggravated him more than running into the red monster in the first place.

He ran his fingers through his hair and gave a long drawn out sigh, trying to get the tension of the day out of his mind. Or at least put it in a place so that he could actually take some time to relax. Even though he knew the commander was no doubt making several 'renovations' that Tristan would no doubt confront, if he kept stressing over it, he wouldn't have any energy when he did indeed confront him.

Tristan glanced over to his cell phone chattering on the desk. Snatching it up and with a practiced ease he flipped it open, struck a button and utter a "_Hallo?_" in the space of a breath.

"_Hallo Madison._" Tristan breathed. "_Was? Nein. Alles in Ordnung... ich weiss das ich für einige Zeit nicht zurückkomme. Das ist Bürokratie, was soll ich sagen?_

"_Leutnant Sai ist mehr als bereit ihr Training zu überwachen, ich traue seinem Urteil._

"_Ich bezweifle das dies jemals passieren wird... Murphy's Gesetz hat nichts damit zu tun... In Ordnung, ich stimme dir zu das die Entscheidung des Kommandanten närrisch war, aber sollten irgendwelche Probleme auftreten bin ich an Bord des nächsten Helikopters weg von hier. In Ordnung?_

"_Okay... Es ist ein langer Tag, und ich habe noch einiges zu erledigen. Wenn ich fertig bin rufe ich zurück... Okay...... Auf Wiederhören._" Tristan switched off the cell phone and placed it back on the desk. Madison had been practically clinging to him the moment she had come to NERV and Tristan couldn't help but to think of her as a little sister.

However, Tristan could understand why the girl had become so attached to him. Having lived with her parents for so long and not having to live separately like the rest of the pilots selected by the Marduk Committee, she was having a hard time dealing with the loneliness. Especially considering just how traumatizing it would be, going about your daily life and then suddenly finding yourself on foreign shores. The fact that the military was responsible for patrolling the shores for any other survivors of the disaster didn't help, especially since many of the troops only were capable of German and perhaps their homeland tongue. People had been frightened and some had to be taken into custody harshly. Several others unfortunately died, not be drowning but simply because they had been on life support or some kind of special medication and this 'rebirth' as it was coined, did not spare them from illness. It left the sense of life to be bitter sweet.

Tristan closed his eyes and tried to remember his experiences with rebirth, even a smidge of the dream-like sensations that everyone else had claimed they had experienced in the interim between their two lives. Everyone was blessed with something, positive or negative when they recalled those times, but Tristan could recall none. He simply woke up in the hospital connected to a milieu of instruments. The medical staff had been carefully to dodge his questions with the only real answer being that some soldiers patrolling the coast may have been too rough when he lost his cool when they found him. With no memory of the even, Tristan could only assume it was true. But it still bothered him that out the many people he simply had no memory of Third Impact.

Defeated and not interested in pressing himself any further, Tristan sat down at the desk and powered up the laptop. The information in the interrogation was going to be useful, but he felt it was necessary to make an official report about divulging some information on the NEC and UNIT. Particularly, he need to ensure that they were aware that she knew about NERV's new place in the world and the fact that he had left several details out of the nature of UNIT. Besides, what she knew wouldn't hurt her. At this point at least.

As soon as Tristan started typing about Asuka, he had difficulty. Stopping mid-sentence, Tristan tightening his hand into a fist and frowned at the screen. He still felt angry at Asuka, not so much about the fact that she was trying to mess with him when he was trying to tell her something important, the old wounds she had made before she left. Asuka had hoped that he would probably bleed to death like a stuck pig. A wry smile played across the young captain's face as he recalled the look of horror on Asuka's face during the interrogation. She had never expected to meet him and neither did he.

Tristan had fervently hoped that the fact that there was no information coming to them from Japan meant that they didn't have any good new to tell them. That Asuka Langely Sohryu had been killed in action or perhaps drowned somewhere in the Pacific Ocean. At least out at sea there would never find that garbage for a long time.

It was then that the captain realized that he was referring to the girl as garbage. He had used it before in his outbursts, but today was probably the first time he had actually let what he thought about her come to the surface. His psychiatrist had always said that bottled up emotions simply made things more difficult, but for Tristan, venting his frustration for the redhead didn't seem to put him at ease at all. In fact, it almost made him guilty. That though caused a dry chuckle to escape Tristan's lips, there was no reason he should feel guilty at all when he was the victim.

Returning to the keyboard, Tristan continued to write his report, trying his best to avoid going on unnecessary tangents about how much he dislike Asuka. In the back of his mind, Tristan wondered if anyone would begin wondering as to why he seemed to be forming this silent conversation with himself. But then, who would care? It seemed as though his entire generation was made up of lunatics with him included. But then, before Second Impact there could have been considered multitudes of people who were lunatics. Just about every person in power had seemed to have no grip on reality either because they were too stupid or rather they were too vain. Tristan was sure that vanity played a large part in why Commander Ikari had failed to ensure that Third Impact never happened. But then, the Committee had reported that Commander Ikari had turned his back to humanity and sought his own twisted ambitions with the use of the Evangelions.

Fear drives people to do very drastic things, and so when Tristan had heard that the German branch's commander had agreed to allow the MAGI to be used in order to try and capture the Japan branch, it seemed all right. However, when it failed, the United Nations immediately called for the flooding of the facility, fearing those who also believed in Ikari's madness. Cryostatic fluid was the best substance to be used for the process, solidifying so that not even the power of an Evangelion's progressive knife could cut through, it was the final failsafe to ensure that Third Impact never happened. The commander was probably kicking himself now at the relocated headquarters. Even with two months of hard work, the excavators weren't even close to penetrating the core, let alone the deeper facilities where the cages lay. It was fortunate that the German branch wasn't storing an Evangelion down there or else even more complications would have occurred.

Tristan stared at the blinking cursor. The report had only managed to become a note of what he did. Even then it didn't look professional at all. At first, the captain didn't believe it had been his writing, but it was. He was thinking much too hard about too many different things. At this rate there was no way he was going to get any work done. With a grunt, Tristan got out of his chair and left his quarters. Leaving the computer to idle for several minutes, before dropping into standby mode.

* * *

Shinji slowly opened his eyes and stared at the blank white ceiling above his head. He gave an all knowing sigh, the certainty that he was in a place that he didn't know about again. Waking up in a bed that was not his own. It seemed so normal for him, but that was what bothered him. Whereas other people probably knew where they were every day, Shinji just couldn't seem to find that kind of stability.

Shinji had gotten tired of the whole hero bit a long time ago, he had been reluctant to accept it and learned that it was an error to accept in the first place with the battle with the Twelfth Angel. Shinji couldn't even remember how he survived in that death trap, but he had learned that actually being strong had led to his destruction. It always seemed safer to dwell in mediocrity, but that was an option he no longer had as soon as he allowed himself to become the pilot of Unit 01.

Chivalry was dead and Shinji had never gotten the bulletin. He had believed he was doing the right thing by piloting in the stead of Rei when she was still injured. He never knew why she had been so badly hurt in the first place, but it had been clear that she was the only option NERV and Tokyo-3 had left should he had refused. But that simply begged the question. If he had not piloted Unit-01 and defeated the Third Angel, wouldn't it have just led to Third Impact a lot sooner. Of course it would, but the result would be the same. That he was the one responsible for causing it. Because he was weak.

The boy wanted to move, but his body ached, straining he lifted an arm from out of the sheets and looked at the bruises up and down his arms and on his wrists. Shinji examined them for a long time at first, puzzled as to their nature, it soon dawned on him however and he left his arm fall and tried to not look at it anymore.

Asuka had thought he had raped her at some point and got her pregnant. Clearly Doctor Powell believed that she was pregnant and that was what got her so upset back in the village. And now she believed that he was the father of the child. It made perfect sense that she hated him so much if that was the truth. But it wasn't, he didn't touch in anyway that was sexual. The only thing that had ever happened was when he accidentally revealed her from under the covers. God, he felt horrible for doing that. Maybe she deserved to kill him for doing something that screwed up.

If he had strangled Asuka on the beach she would never have found out what happened and had accused him. But then he would have killed two people and he would never be able to get that off of his conscience. Furthermore, he would have probably just gone insane, being alone on the blasted rock that was now Japan.

It seemed that everywhere the boy had turned, he had found only confrontation, even his dreams were filled with images of Kowaru turning on him and trying to kill him. It was as if his mind was trying to tell him that even though Shinji was fooled into believing the boy was human, he was indeed an Angel and therefore had the basic agenda of killing the Evangelion pilots.

Shinji felt tired, depressed, angry, and frustrated. He recalled that he wanted to come back to try and find happiness but now he was beginning to regret it. He faced constant trials, all of which simply brought him more pain and every bit of joy was lost. He once reprimanded himself for simply consuming and regurgitating the same lines of praise and happy memories over and over again. But now it seemed as though this method of sustaining himself was the only viable option left.

Shinji closed his eyes again and lapsed into unconsciousness. He would rather take his chances with Kowaru now than anything else.

**_To Be Continued..._**

Author's Notes  
Another short chapter unfortunately, it may seem frustrating that my chapters are starting to become thin, but I don't want to reiterate the same ideas in the previous chapters and I want to ensure that the changes and additions to the story happen rather gradually.  
I apologize for the delays in the posting of this chapter, but I have just moved into university and it has taken me a little time to adjust. Hopefully I can get back onto the ball soon.  
I would also like to introduce to you Steve VADER, formerly a mild-mannered Austrian reviewer of the fiction, after providing some good points, I have decided to make him the official translator of the German passages in this story. Welcome aboard Steve, I appreciate the help.


	7. Tower

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. Madison Timlitt is owned by "Lady Pheaura". All other original characters are owned by me.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation  
**Chapter 7: Tower  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German translations by "Steve Vader"_

Despite the cramped confines of the helicopter's hull, Asuka could feel an enormous rift between herself and Tristan. It wasn't something she truly felt bad about, but on the other hand it made her feel uneasy. Tristan sat directly across from her, legs and arms crossed and a stern look on his face made only the more grim with the wrap-around sunglasses on his face. Asuka sat directly across from him and play only mild interest in the captain's dirty look.

Asuka first took a great interest in her feet. She had not been given anything special to wear, mostly her common clothes that she had in her bag. But then, dressing up was a silly thing to be worried about. She may be a girl, but she didn't like the stupid attitude everyone expected of her. In fact, she suspected that they would have provided her with a proper uniform. Slacks and a T-shirt were not what she considered something her new commander would be interested in. Besides, the Evangelions were gone now and so by becoming a member of NERV wouldn't she be in an administrative role?

The redhead wanted to be satisfied with what was going on, but it seemed that she would have no such luck in finding an answer. She just hoped that no other questions would arise. Her life was complicated enough as it was and so anything that could be used to tie off the loose ends to her life seemed be invaluable.

Tristan shifted in his seat and turned his head to look towards the cockpit. Asuka took the opportunity to steal a glance at the young man through the corner of her eye. It didn't seem like an illusion anymore, Tristan had indeed changed. Not only that but he was also speaking what she knew he was feeling. He hated her, and not in the same way Asuka hated everyone. It was the kind of passionate ardor of someone who had been betrayed. Asuka was able to understand that feeling, considering what Shinji had done. She frowned inwardly, she wanted to forget about Shinji, not bring him back to her mind.

The young man's head snapped back to look at her, and Asuka refocused her sights on the vacant seat next to hers. Before now, Asuka could only remember Tristan raising his voice to only his father. They hated each other to the point that if it weren't for the NERV secret service, the two would probably come to blows. But here he was now, showing just as much hatred for her just because she betrayed something that wasn't actually real. He was an idiot. He didn't deserve her pity.

"Be aware that we are not going to Berlin." Tristan stated. Asuka glanced at him and frowned.

"Why not?"

"The NERV base we are using is beyond in the northwest. Tower Four."

"Why are we going there? I though we were going to the NERV HQ?"

"Before Third Impact the government had us flood E-NERV HQ. It was either that or the same violence that occurred at Japan."

"You idiots." Asuka grumbled.

"It was the commander's decision, not mine. If someone deserves that name it's him. Besides there is not much difference between headquarters and Tower Four except fewer labs and no development facility for Evangelions."

"But isn't the Evangelion series destroyed?"Tristan looked at Asuka strangely and removed his glasses, a perplexed look on his face.

"The only ones that are confirmed as gone are Units-00 through 04, there are still nine more." Asuka shook her head.

"That can't be right. Nine Evangelions were deployed to attack NERV. I had to the fight them."

"Now who is having delusions. No Evangelions were sent, they weren't complete." That unsettled Asuka. The Evangelions she fought and was defeated by weren't Evangelions at all. If they weren't EVAs then what where they? "What the Hell's the matter with you?" Tristan asked. Asuka shook her head. She didn't understand anything.

"If no new Evangelions were deployed in Japan, then where are the others?" Tristan put his sunglasses back on, a wry smile on his face. Something in Asuka's heart jumped at the thought, half from joy half from fear. But also there was more uncertainty.

"Wait. So I'm being brought back to NERV to be a pilot?"

"Correct."

"But the Angels are gone. What one Earth could be so dangerous that Evangelions have to be used?"

"I was waiting for you to ask that." From a leather folder next to the captain, he produced a thin ream of paper and handed it to her. Asuka quickly scanned over the German document.

"'The Vanguard Report'?"

"Essentially it was a theory developed about a month before Third Impact. Although the actual identity of the theorist is unknown, they somehow managed to provide a small amount of data pertaining to the Angels to come to the conclusion that each of the Angels encountered beyond the first were designed in some way to be a probe, a scout designed to learn adapt, and create a form that could effectively defeat humanity's largest and strongest defensive force."

"Tokyo-3."

"Yes. The Evangelions are the best weapon we have against the Angel and at that time they were programmed to attack the largest concentration of those weapons. That was incidentally Tokyo-3."

"But the Sixth Angel attacked the UN Fleet. If it was supposed to attack the largest concentration of Evangelions, it would have went for Tokyo-3."

"Perhaps the Angels are able to recognize individuals and the relationship they have with the Evangelions. One part of the theory suggests that the largest concentration of Evangelion pilots attracts the Angels."

"So if the First Child, Third Child, and I were in say... Australia, the Angels would attack there?" Tristan nodded. Asuka looked back at the report.

"I never understood why they do these things, but now it seems they are smarter than they look. As for the changing of their forms, all of the Angels were defeated so they never found a proper form to win."

"You continue to assume that there are a finite number of Angels. The Committee had said there were only seventeen, but that was based on pre-Second Impact information. We don't really know how many there are. For all we know, if Third Impact didn't occur, more Angels would continue to appear."

"But Third Impact was their goal. They did what they-"

"No! These beings were not here to herald the rebirth of humanity. Their purpose has to be more sinister. Something that occurred in Third Impact only lead to the blow being softened. Leaving humanity alive and in disarray. The Vanguard Report suggests that the true purpose of the Angels are to annihilate all human life. That was the purpose of Second Impact.

"The ice caps melted, the poles shifted, causing a severe climactic change. They wanted to try and wipe us out by making the planet unbearable to live, however, humans and many of the other things on the planet have adapted to become resistant to change within a tolerable limit. The Angels came to be the mop up crew, initiating Third Impact in order to finish what they started." Asuka couldn't help but laugh.

"Why would they want to destroy humanity? What have we done to them? Are they just freaky space invaders that want to live on our planet?" Asuka always ignored the details of her job, the nature of the Angels was so strange that there was no point in bothering over it.

"Perhaps. Perhaps the Angels are aliens or the agents of another group of beings who want to use Earth as a new colony. Or perhaps these are truly God's messengers coming down to Earth to bring about the final judgment of mankind. The end to the imperfect race that controls this planet. Whatever the case, if the Vanguard Report is correct, the Angels will continue to arrive until the day that humanity finally dies out." Asuka flipped through the report.

"When are they supposed to return?" Tristan shook his head.

"A week? Ten thousand years? We don't know. All we know is that if the theory is correct, the Angels will begin the process all over again and try and find some form that can defeat us. And when they do, we will be up to our armpits in these destroyers as they crush all of our defenses. We cannot allow any of the Angels to survive and win. If we do, humanity will be destroyed. That is the purpose of EVA and that is why you must become a pilot once more." Asuka cracked a smile.

"I knew that was why E-NERV wanted me back. They need someone to pilot their Evangelion."

"Evangelions." Tristan corrected.

"How many Evangelions do the NEC and UNIT have?"

"The NEC has three Evangelions, and UNIT last reported having one. But honestly, there is still much debate over whether you should pilot"

"Why?"

"After what you did to Shinji Ikari..." Asuka blinked at the defiance seemed to slip away from her, she had almost forgotten all about that. She looked away from Tristan for a moment to collect herself.

"He deserved what he got."

"What did he do to deserve it? Did he just look at you and you went berserk?"

"No! Of course not! I didn't because..." She paused. The truth of what happened was embarrassing. She didn't want Tristan to find out. If he did, he'd probably laugh or scorn her. Anyone would, if the great Asuka Langley had been overpowered by a skinny little kid and he had his way with her.

"Because what?" Tristan pushed, a look of amusement on his face, like an attorney who already knew that the witness was guilty and would never dig themselves out of their grave. Asuka had to find something to answer. From the tone in the captain's voice, this was a serious matter. She scrambled to figure out something to say. Something she could use in her defense.

"H-he tried to rape me..." Asuka stammered. There was a fell silence, Tristan was absolutely still but then shifted, as if considering the statement. The glasses came off and he examined Asuka carefully, coming down onto the still healing bruises on her neck. She had tried to hide it with the collar of her jacket, clearly ashamed by it. When Tristan looked into Asuka's eyes, the girl's expression hardened, knowing that the captain was trying to see the truth now. Asuka's mind constantly tried to pound in the idea that it was true. That Shinji had tried to rape her on the road. That he wanted to replay the same disgusting act he had done but now with the chance of doing so to someone who was more active. She could feel herself want to have her face contort in disgust. But she couldn't help hold back the tears as the reality of her rape came to mind and painted the picture of the evil little boy in tennis shoes violating her.

"So you were trying to protect yourself?" Asuka slowly nodded. Tristan closed his eyes and frowned, thinking hard, as if considering what next to say. Obviously this was a difficult thing for him to deal with. He was still only a fifteen year old kid, even though he was a captain. Besides, rape was not something that ordinarily frightened men as much as women. "As you can see... I don't really know what to say to that." Tristan finally announced, saying each word carefully. Asuka nodded, still concentrating on making the lie real in her mind.

The silence persisted, the two teenagers not sure what to say to the other on the subject. The pilot glanced back into the hull from the cockpit, feeling the air of solemnity in the place. He was about to speak but stopped himself and returned to piloting the craft. Clearly, this was not something to get involved in. No matter what it was that they had been actually talking about.

* * *

Even though NERV was designed to be a veritable fortress, the design had a knack for not leaving the aesthetics left behind. Undoubtedly, their style translated to even the auxiliary bases as well. Asuka looked out the glass walls of the elevator as it descended down in the earth. Natural geofronts were rare and Germany had to alter the expansion of Berlin significantly in order to incorporate the base into it's defense sphere. Places like Tower Four were simply enormous vertical shafts with the a massive column in the center, reinforced by hundreds of metal struts and supports connected to the walls. 

Sunlight came in through large windows in the ceiling, reflected off of the silver tinted windows and walls and illuminating the shaft. Down far below, a sort of office park had been made. Paths, trees, benches, and ponds, all made so that the long term workers didn't get too antsy about being underground. When Asuka was an infant and when she was being trained as a pilot, she never spent much time 'outdoors'.

Asuka could remember a few memories of when she had come to Tower One, when not working directly with the entry plug prototypes, Asuka's mother often studied and developed her theories at that base. Even when she was still just an infant she could remember and distinguish between Tower One and Four, the first being the true pride and joy of the original staff. Asuka would often be brought there by her father expecting his wife to care for the child when he went to work, or simply to be there when both were busy. NERV wasn't properly staffed back then, it was never really a daycare center either.

Asuka closed her eyes and tried to conjure up images of the crayon drawings she made. Something she did on her spare time. Somewhere down the line that was what convinced her father and stepmother to get her involved in music. She seemed artistic and at that time they were never really aware she was going to be an EVA pilot. It was a secret after all. They didn't seem to care. Asuka thought only her mother would give a damn.

Her face contorted in disgust as she remembered the day her mother did the trial run of the entry plug. Before she left Asuka had given her a picture. She never knew where it had gone after that event, but God help her if she found it she would burn it and the ashes. She hated herself as an infant. She was far too naïve.

When sense returned from out of the fit of anger, Asuka assumed that the piece of paper was destroyed in the bombing of Tower One. She moved to Berlin before it happened but from what she had heard, a member of a religious cult believed that whatever testing that was being done at Tower One was morally evil and had to be destroyed. The tower had collapsed and was probably the largest act of terrorism ever recorded in Post Second Impact Europe.

"You're not sick again are you?" Tristan asked bluntly. Asuka started and looked over her shoulder. Tristan was leaning against the frame of the door, still wearing his sun glasses. Asuka remembered that soon after they had landed she had to throw up. The morning sickness had come back.

"No. I only get sick when in an aircraft. Why do you think I agreed to take a boat to Tokyo-3?" It was a lie she could justify and after what she said on the chopper, she didn't think she needed to complicate things anymore by revealing her pregnancy. In fact, that was something she didn't want to remember anymore.

A pang of guilt struck Asuka as she felt as though she was trying to ignore the child she was expecting, doing something her parents probably did. If Asuka was to bring a new life into the world, she didn't want to treat it the same way that her parents did. If there was anyone she needed to turn her back on, it was the ones who raised her. They deserved to be forgotten.

The cause of her pregnancy, however, was something that bothered her. If Shinji was indeed the father. How would she explain it? Would she explain it? For that matter, would she actually keep the child? Asuka's brow furrowed as she thought about those possibilities. Soon though she chose not to continue that train of thought. It was too taxing for her. Getting used to being in Germany again was difficult enough. Facing Tristan again was even more difficult. Who knew what other surprise guests would appear before the day was out.

"You grew up near Tower One, right?" Asuka nodded, not turning to look at Tristan. Why was he trying to make conversation with her now? Was it because he thought this place was private? Without even looking, Asuka knew Tristan had positioned himself directly below the security camera. She was surprised she never noticed it before. She would have expected to notice it to be so deliberate.

"Near Munich... Yeah." Asuka added. "Tower Three, Weimar?" She didn't even know why she wanted to keep talking. Perhaps to try and escape from the horrors of her reality. Tristan seemed surprised as well.

"That's right." Tristan murmured. Asuka didn't continue the conversation. Growing up, she had heard enough about the captain to know he wasn't interested in talking about his personal life just like Asuka. Flashes of her mother came and the girl stared intently on the distant walls of Tower Four's shaft. Neither of them spoke, the brief exchange being sufficient to ending the stifling silence they felt they were under.

The elevator at last stopped with a chime. Asuka turned to leave, motioned by the captain to go first. Asuka stood at the meeting point of the perimeter hall with a corridor reaching out from the center of the facility. The place was quiet and sterile, the walls seeming to absorb noise, leaving only the echoes of people moving down the halls in the far distance.

The outer walls of the perimeter hall featured heavily reinforced windows and covered balconies from which the smoking members of the staff could enjoy a puff. While Tokyo-3 didn't have smoke detectors in the offices, the Towers' rules were different as any problem could compromise the ability for the Tower to be defended.

Unlike Tokyo-3's base, the Towers, as Asuka could recall, were actually designed to be highly defensible structures originally built to defend against an invasion force. Digging deep underground was a logical thing to do what with the advent of more destructive weapons of mass destruction. When Germany became a member of the NERV program, the places were refitted to provide the dual role of research and combat. A limited community capable of surviving a long term siege.

"Where are we going?" Asuka asked as Tristan passed her and started down the corridor into the center of the structure. Tristan turned after a few paces.

"You might as well come and meet the staff you will be working under. It's not going to be a formal thing, but you out to pass a brief introduction with the top brass." The captain explained matter-of-factly. Asuka didn't remember ever being introduced to the commanders of E-NERV or J-NERV. In fact, all she had were there names and she never actually met them. This was a change in a tradition that Asuka had quickly gotten used to. But then again, who was to say that the commander of E-NERV was the commander who was running the show before Third Impact?

Also, because of her veteran status as an Evangelion pilot, this was probably a by product of the prestige the title carried. Besides, being someone who knows how to fight Angels, her opinion would probably be very valuable. Asuka grinned to herself as she imagined the perks of such recognition.

The redhead followed her guide to a second elevator and climbed in. This one now windowless and devoid of anything decorative except the metal hand railing. Tristan pressed a button and the car began to descend. The silence was short as a cell phone in his pocket chimed. Tristan pulled it out an answered.

"_Hallo? hier spricht der Captain..." _It was Lieutenant Sai, a member of the staff Tristan wanted Asuka to meet. He was responsible to ensure everyone was around, something must have been wrong._ "Pardon? Sie ist was? 'Sicher'? Gott, wer befehligt diese Idioten? Der Sub-Commander?_" There was a pause. It seemed that the NERV Secret Service was giving Sai a hard time. "_Fein, ich werde mit ihr sprechen. Ich werde auch mit ihm über die Entscheidung reden. Nein, der Zeitplan wird nicht geändert. Sie hat das Boot verpasst, also muss sie auf das nächste warten. Ja. Ja. Wiederhören._" Asuka was about to speak up when Tristan immediately punched in a speed dial code and put his ear back to the unit.

"_Madison? Wo zum Teufel bist du? lch bin ich nicht dein Bewacher, und sicherlich nicht dein Vater! Leutnant Sai sagte mir du warst nicht anwesend... Ich sagte dir gestern du sollst mich in der Lobby der unterirdischen Büros treffen... Dieser Dienst ist nicht dazu da dich mit einem Haufen persönlicher Sekretärinnen zu versorgen... Ist mir egal wie leid es dir tut, das Treffen ist gestrichen. Bleib wo du bist, und mach weiter, was auch immer du gerade tust. Wir können uns ein anderes Mal treffen. Tschüss.._" Tristan couldn't believe it, how irresponsible could Madison be to forget this when she had several days to prepare.

"Who's Madison?" Asuka asked.

"Don't worry about it."

"I'm not worried about it, I just want to know. Who is Madison?"

"It's none of your damn business!" Asuka stifled a chuckle. "What's so funny?"

"You are getting awfully defensive. I thought you were the officer who was cool under pressure."

"And you're supposed to be a pilot, yet you seem to inherently suck at killing Angels. At least she has natural talent."

"Natural talent, hmm?" A sly grin crawled on Asuka's face. "You got a thing for her, captain?" She drew close. Tristan responded with an irritated snort. "Sounds like you do. So is she a looker, or brains before beauty? C'mon, I want to hear the details." Asuka chuckled as she could see Tristan seem to tense from her teasing. She tapped her chin in mock contemplation.

"Now let's see... What kind of look would you go for? Blonde? No, too airy. Brunette?"

"Definitely not redheads, they have a tendency to be bull shit flingers."

"What do you mean by that?" Asuka asked, her teasing mood being replace by her dangerously even tone.

"And they cannot catch a wisecrack."

"_Mein Gott! Nicht schon wieder!_" Asuka cried. "There was nothing between us, Tristan. Nothing! Everything you thought we were was just your own damn daydream. I hated your guts then and I hate them now." Tristan spun around and glared at the girl.

"Hate is a word you don't understand."

"And you do? That's the largest load of bull shit I ever heard from you!"

"At least your parents actually gave two shits about you!"

"So I should pity you? God, you are even worse than that reject, Shinji." Tristan paused for a moment, considering what to say.

"At least I-" The elevator chimed and the door opened before Tristan could finish.

"_Captain?_" A gruff voice inquired from behind Tristan. The youth's body tensed for a moment before he spun around and snapped a hard, practice salute. Asuka lagged several seconds behind before snapping to attention as well.

"_Grüsse, Kommandant_." The captain said in as authoritative of a voice as possible.

"At ease." The man said. The solemnity in his face faded to something anyone else would consider a happy tone, but for those present, it looked more like his mouth had been stretched wider. "What seems to be the trouble?" He asked.

"Nothing, sir." Tristan smartly responded, despite the previous order. The man looked away from the captain and laid his tired eyes on Asuka. She looked up at the man, standing at a height of well over six feet with blonde graying hair and a thick mustache. He wore a uniform of NERV authority, the clip on his collar revealing to be of far higher rank than the captain. The commander. Asuka shifted her stance, concealing the rank clip on Misato's jacket, becoming aware of how much confusion it may cause.

"And who is this? A civilian?" A twinge of disappointed sounded in the commanders voice.

"No, sir. This is Asuka Langley Sohryu. Former pilot of Unit-02, our contribution to the defense of the Tokyo-3 branch."

"Hmm... I do not believe we have ever gotten the chance to be formally acquainted before the circumstances now. I am Sub Commander Aaron Septerra." The commandant stepped into the elevator and offered his hand to Asuka. She took it and received a firm handshake. Tristan glanced at his watch.

"You're late for the meeting." Tristan pointed out and signaled for the elevator to keep going down.

"Yes, I suppose so, but there is a lot of duties that I needed to get done. Especially after the previous operation."

"That was a week ago and we're still trying to pick up the pieces?" Septerra nodded.

"What operation?" Asuka inquired.

"Evangelions don't just make themselves." Briefly glancing at the captain, Septerra looked back at Asuka and elaborated.

"Have you heard of the Vanguard Report?" Asuka nodded. "Soon after that information was given, all primary and secondary branches of NERV began to start full production of the Evangelions all over the world. After Third Impact, however, not all of the Evangelions were completed and considering there was no one at the abandoned NERV bases, the NEC decided the most prudent action was to find and transport the Evangelions back to Germany, to be completed. The operations involved finding and securing the Evangelions for transport from the other NERV bases, many have which have been locked down soon after the attack on the Japan branch."

"So you get the Evangelion, but what is there to clean up?"

"Information." Tristan answered. "Each of the NERV branches have been working on research independently and have been working to develop new technologies to further the efforts in defending humanity against the Angels. For example, the former U.S. branch was trying to manufacture an Evangelion with an S-2 organ. Canada was developing newer extreme environment equipment. Brazil was working on improving battery capacity, since they were pessimistic about A-NERV's ideas. Since it was decided that NERV was to be shut down, our operatives have been working to try and get into every part of these facilities to find as much information as we can to try and improve the quality of the Evangelions."

"As if the reinforced structure wasn't enough, many also were flooded with cryostatic fluid." Septerra added. "Just like E-NERV itself." Asuka nodded. Tristan had already mentioned the flooding of E-NERV, but he didn't mention it was with that ruby red gunk. If the stuff wasn't so dense, Asuka knew that NERV would have used it as some kind of weapon against the Angels.

"Makes you wish that we discovered a solvent for the stuff."

"So where did the last operation occur?"

"The construction hangars in southern China." Septerra answered. Something in the back of Asuka's mind pricked up, warning her that something was wrong with this. As if she was forgetting something important, but for some reason, she couldn't place what it was. The elevator chimed again.

"We're here." Tristan announced. He offered to allow Septerra and Asuka off first.

"I hope you enjoy staying here." Septerra mentioned as he lead the captain and their newest staff member towards the meeting hall. "It would be nice to get to know the daughter of Professor Sohryu." Another twinge of something. Septerra knew her mother? Asuka watched and followed the sub-commander intently, as if drawn by the promise that he could reveal some of the mysteries behind Kyoko. She never understood her mother, as a scientist or as a person before she went insane. This middle-aged man could be the key to finally doing so. However, even with the excitement of discovery, something deep in Asuka's heart warned her it wasn't something she wanted to know. But then, the heart was always an irrational thing, something that only a child listened to.  
  
**_To Be Continued..._**

Author's Notes  
It might be just me, but it seems that I am getting more used to writing these slightly shorter chapters, but despite that, they usually involve the information that I wanted to get out. There is no sign of Shinji in this chapter as I think the events between the two main characters are getting farther and farther removed at this point. Obviously this is because the relationship between the two of them has been horribly torn apart. Don't worry, Shinji fans, chapter eight will feature the spineless hero.


	8. Hospital Stay

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 8: Hospital Stay  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

The night didn't feature Kowaru. Shinji couldn't tell if he should have been thankful or worried by that fact. The Seventeenth Angel's presence however, didn't really make one lick of difference as to what happened in reality. The boy's reality was now in constant flux. The hospital bed linens were different; the machinery around his bed was reduced, but was far more sophisticated. All of those present were switched to off. Feeling jaded, none of this seemed to bother him.

He sat up and wiped the drowsiness out of his eyes and scanned the white painted room. White tiles were laid down on the floor and a pair of screens formed a pen where his bed and the machinery were nestled. The bruising on his arms and body had healed more than he had anticipated, and the aching in his arms was fast becoming a memory. Physically, he felt better, but deep down, the past events still bothered him. This felt like a dream... Or was Third Impact a dream?

Shinji stared at his hand for several moments before working the ligaments and muscles to change the position of the fingers. He pinched his other arm and winced, contacting with a still tender bruise. From what he knew, the pain he felt meant that he wasn't dreaming. He was in a real hospital in a real bed. It didn't feel right though. The presence of the room was not what Shinji found comfortable. This was the real world, but it felt radically different, not like when he and Asuka were traveling. But of a kind of stability that he had almost forgotten when Tokyo-3 was destroyed. He felt like he was home. But that was a difficult presumption. Something that only rose up in the confusing tumult of his mind without his support. 

Shinji scrubbed his face with his hands, trying to be rid of this need to overcomplicate his thoughts. But it wasn't going to happen. His mind was out of control and he couldn't stop it until it slowed down.

His old clothes were gone, replaced by a large off-white panamas shirt, and a pair of white pants tightened by a drawstring. There were no bandages on him from what he could tell, only the fading signs of the bruises he had gained in his fisticuff with Asuka. He forced the thought of fighting Asuka out of his mind; he didn't need to continue evaluating that encounter, not until his mind was more of its normal self. Shinji flung the covers off and swung his feet over the bed. In the corner of his vision, a pair of slippers rested against the nightstand. The personnel seemed to have expected that he would be up and about now. Slipping them on, Shinji stood up on shaky legs, balancing himself on the nightstand to keep from falling. Neither foot left the floor as he turned and started dragging his feet across the floor, hearing the soles of the slippers hiss across the ceramic floor. Outside of the fabric walls of his pen, Shinji looked around the ward, seeing harsh midday light shine through the window slats. The boy moved towards the window, which lay right next to the pen of a middle-aged gentleman sleeping soundly. Shinji watched the man, who had a European pallor that reminded him of Asuka, only darker. Shinji decided he could find someplace in this hospital where he could look outside and not disturb the other patients. 

Turning around, Shinji went towards the blue tinted door that led out of the room, passing by the third and final pen in the room, which held only an empty bed, and no one else. That person was probably already up an about. How long had Shinji been asleep? Neither clocks nor calendars adorned the walls of the room, and only the daylight outside gave a hint as to what time it actually was.

The metal of the latch handle was cold to the touch. Shinji held it a few seconds, and then released it. He flexed his hand, as if trying to analyze the sensation he had felt. Again, seeming to overanalyse the most simplistic of things. He just couldn't seem to help it. Steeling himself, Shinji grabbed hold of the latch again and pushed it down, hearing the bolt slide out and the door swing inwards. Shinji stepped through and shut the door. 

Shinji looked up and down the corridor. Both ways he looked seemed exactly the same. There was no sound, it was almost as if he were deaf. Maybe this was a dream. Shinji took a few tentative steps to the left, looking along the room numbers seeing that he was going up them. No windows could be seen to reveal his orientation, but the numbers alone told him that by going down them, he would come close to the centre of the building. Turning around, Shinji started walking in the opposite direction.

After walking by about 40 rooms, a corridor met the one Shinji was in. The boy stopped and looked down this new passage, seeing sunlight on the other side. Still moving slowly, he approached the window and looked out. To the right he could see the rows of windows along; below, and above the floor he was on. They stretched outward, giving a view to the hills, and forests of a land Shinji could not recognize. In a way however, it seemed very similar to Japan, but then again, just about every place on Earth looked the same after Second Impact. 

The diversity of the Earth was gone now, the mysteries of the natural world were now something of a myth for the boy, something that he would always hear stories about, but would never physically touch. Shinji looked out at the landscape, putting a hand against the cold window frame. It seemed so peaceful and tranquil. A pristine wilderness, however Shinji knew that there wasn't anything wild anymore in those woods.

The animals were gone and no birds sang. The Earth seemed dead now, with only people walking across it's Earth. Shinji was actually surprised that this hospital actually seemed to function and that there were enough patients that he and the older man had been placed so far away from the centre of the building. Of all things, it seemed as though humanity was the only creature that was able to bounce back from the calamity of Third Impact.

The sound of a voice caused Shinji to break from his goodbye to Earth's animals. He blinked, his mind, still in it's over processing state forming what it was he was hearing. It was a familiar song that he had attached to someone else a long time ago. Symphony Number Nine... Kowaru's song. Shinji looked around, turning and seeing a figure sitting cross-legged in a chair, head down, penciling something into a coil ring notebook. Shinji stood there for several seconds, not actually listening to the song, but trying to recognize the person. The subject of Shinji's query lifted her head and met Shinji's eyes. Her humming stopped.  
"_Hallo._" Shinji blinked. "..._Hallo._" It was the first and one of the only words in the German language that Asuka had to shove down his throat. Shinji was surprised that he still remembered, without Asuka there to bully him into it. "_Ich hoffe es stört dich nicht, das ich dich gezeichnet habe... Jetzt sieht das Bild besser aus._" Immediately, Shinji was overwhelmed. He didn't know enough German to actually start a conversation. "Uh... I- I don't understand." Shinji stammered. At first the girl looked at him quizzically and then nodded. "I'm sorry... I thought you knew German." Shinji blinked again, surprised that this girl also knew his native tongue. "You don't really have to apologize." The girl stood up. "No, no. It was wrong of me to assume that you were from around here. Or are you?" She fidgeted and it caused Shinji to smile, seeing a teenager who was still acting like a kid. It seemed to make things seem all right. At least something in this crazy world was close to normal. The girl noticed the grin and smiled back. "My name is Madison... Madison Timlitt, please to meet you." She was going to extend her hand, but hesitated halfway through the motion. "Am I supposed to bow or something, instead?" Shinji shook his head. 

"No. It's not necessary; I haven't met many people who bowed anyway. My name is Shinji Ikari." Shinji took Madison's hand.

"Pleased to meet you. So why are you in the hospital anyway, Shinji?" Shinji stared at Madison for several seconds, she frowned. "Is something wrong?" Shinji shook his head. "It's nothing." "Well if you don't want to chat, you don't have to." "No, no. It's not that. It's just that well..." Shinji paused. "You just don't want to talk about that. Don't worry, I understand perfectly. There are some things that people just really don't feel ready to handle." Madison walked over to the window, took a deep breath and turned around. "So I guess you're from Japan, aren't you?" 

"Yes." Madison looked up at the ceiling for a minute.

"That's about as far as I am from my home. More or less." "You weren't born in Europe?" "No. I'm from New Zealand." Shinji looked at the girl as if she was crazy. "Near Australia?" Shinji immediately caught on and nodded his head. But then paused. "So you travelled from Australia to Europe. I thought my trip was far." "No. I came from the sea. Everyone calls it 'rebirth' but I don't know." Madison paused. "Wait. A trip, you mean you actually travelled here from Japan?" "Uh, yeah." Madison's reaction was an exclamation from another dialect entirely. Shinji could only fathom a guess that it was 'New Zealander'. 

"That should have taken months. You probably got started at the end of the world. How did you get here so fast?" Madison's excited voice hard for the boy to follow, her Japanese becoming badly slurred.

"Actually, I'm not really sure how I got here. In fact, I don't really know where here is." Madison blinked, obviously surprised by his statement.

"We're in Hamburg, Germany." Shinji was shocked.

"Germany? But how could I have gotten here so fast?" Shinji rubbed his forehead. Just as soon as he had asked the questions he realized how stupid it was because he already knew the answer. He was in a hospital. If things were serious enough they would have moved him to another hospital. If Europe had been restoring their population like what they originally assumed way back when they first learned there were people in Austria, there was no doubt that Berlin would be populated. After all, it was a branch member of NERV, why else would a German like Asuka...

The thought of Asuka caused Shinji to jump and look around. A wave of paranoia striking so suddenly and leaving so quietly that he barely even realized that he was frantically looking up and down the hall expecting the redhead to be charging at him. God knew that he was starting to get really messed up. First Kowaru and now this.

"Are you okay?" Madison asked, clearly worried about the well being of her newfound associate. Shaking the bugs out of his head Shinji looked up. "I'm fine. It's just..." Shinji trailed off for a second. As if on cue, his stomach growled loud enough for Madison to hear. 

"Sounds as though you have been asleep for quite awhile."

"You could tell?" Madison nodded. "C'mon, you can eat in the cafeteria and we can talk." "Are you sure that's a good idea." "Well there are no nurses running to take you back to your room. Besides since you're not hooked up to an I.V., I guess it wouldn't hurt for you to eat some real food." Shinji looked down at his attire. Madison seemed to know what he was indicated and shrugged. "Some folks are half-naked and can still eat there. So long as you are somewhat decent. In fact, what you have on is pretty conservative." She motioned for Shinji to follow her and he did. "You seem to know a lot about this hospital." "Yeah, I guess I do. But it's not what you might think. I'm not a patient here." "Then why do you come here so often? Assuming that you do." "Well, the scenery is terrific and there are plenty of interesting people here." Shinji looked at the back of Madison's head, not quite following. His eyes wandered down to the notebook in the crook of the girl's arm. 

"So you're an artist?" Madison stopped and turned with a smile.

"Yes." She offered the notebook to Shinji. "Want to take a look?" The boy hesitated for a moment but then took the book from her and slowly started flipping through the pages. At first most were just flowers, cloud formations, or landscapes, but slowly they began to feature architecture and people. Including one person, a stern looking young man, probably the same age if not older than Shinji. But there was an air of resilience in him, if his hair was any longer, Shinji would have no problem believing that this was a younger, bitterer Kaji Ryouji. One picture showed the young man looking at the viewer, or perhaps even at Madison while she was drawing him, while sitting on the hood of a car, wearing a weak smile. But his posture showed more confidence that it would. Shinji was amazed at the quality of the artwork. Shinji noticed that about every three pages was another portrait of the handsome teenager. 

Finally, Shinji came across a photo of the young man carrying a file and wearing the uniform of a NERV officer. The boy blinked and squinted, seeing the tag on the collar symbolizing the rank of a captain.

"They're not very good." Madison stated, taking the surprise on Shinji's face to be one of abhorrence to her work. Shinji looked up at the girl and back down at the page. He held it up to show her the page. "Who is this?" Shinji asked. 

"His name is Tristan Nevril, he's the Operations Director for E-NERV here."

"'Operations Director'? But he's no older than me!" Shinji exclaimed. "He's a real hard ass when he's working. I mean seriously no nonsense. I was supposed to have a meeting with him and the rest of the lower command staff and when I was late, he told me not to come." "...That doesn't sound too bad." "The way he puts it makes you feel pretty lousy though. But under that exterior of his, he's a really nice guy." "You said you had a meeting with him and the lower command staff. You're part of NERV?" "Yeah. But I really don't have a rank. I'm still considered a civilian. Kind of like the Evangelion pilots in Tokyo-3. I'm sure you've heard of them, they've been on the news every so often." Madison paused. "Before Third Impact anyways." Shinji's frown deepened. "Are you supposed to be a pilot?" 

"What? No of course not! I take on a more administrative role. Kind of like a... Warrant officer?"

"Administrative? What exactly do you do?" "Well, I really can't say it; we are a 'secret' organization after all. Hey, why are you asking so many questions about NERV anyway?" "Uh. Well I..." Shinji hesitated; he wasn't actually prepared to answer. He almost expected everyone to know that he was an EVA pilot. But then, everyone would have such high expectations of him. He then realized that being in a place that no one recognized him could be a godsend. Maybe he wouldn't have to pilot EVA anymore... The contradiction struck him suddenly in just a flash of a second. He seemed to only recognize himself as a pilot and seemed to remind himself that he didn't want to. Pantomiming his former self when Evangelion was just a memory. But then Shinji recalled Madison's words, was she really a member of NERV, and if so it sounded as if they were active. NERV was still an active organization even when all the Angels were defeated. 

Shinji looked at Madison, she had crossed her arms and looked expectantly at him, and if she were just playing she would be more vocal.

"I just think that NERV is... Really cool." Immediately Shinji tried his best to imitate Kensuke, his four-eyed friend back in Tokyo-3. "I mean... The pilots get to drive those giant robots." This caused Madison to smile with a little bit of a chuckle. 

"You really remind me of Tristan. Only, you come off a bit more timid. I suppose it doesn't hurt to be curious about the organization designed to save the world. Just don't go sticking your neck out too far; some members of the security force can get awfully fanatical. But enough with that, how about we get something to eat?" Shinji nodded, his stomach happily agreeing. Returning the notebook to its owner, they continued on their way. Sating the boy's hunger came before concerns surrounding the new destiny of his father's organization.

"You made a lot of drawings of the captain and you talk about him quite a bit. Is he special to you?" Shinji knew it was a dumb question and it didn't seem like him, but he felt as if Kensuke's persona was taking over and making him talk as much as possible. 

"Well, I can't say he isn't attractive, nor that he isn't a nice guy under that front it puts up against other people, I guess you could just say we're good friends."

"Good friends..." Shinji repeated, more to himself. The meaning of that turn of phrase swam in his mind as he tried to figure out what that actually meant. Was it the sense of camaraderie he had felt between Touji and Kensuke during the early days of Tokyo-3? Or perhaps she was talking about a friendship with someone of the opposite sex. Did Shinji have someone he could consider a 'good friend' like Madison did? 

"Is everything alright?" Madison asked. Shinji looked up to see that the Caucasian girl was walking backwards, watching him. He blinked.

"I'm fine. It's nothing to worry about." "Maybe I'm being a little too blunt, but you seem awfully moody. Where was that energy I saw in you earlier?" Shinji didn't know how to respond. Would she not like him now that she knew that his words were simply a façade? Shinji gave a slight wince as he heard Madison breath an audible sigh. He waited for the name-calling to start. "Well I guess it's always easier to put up a front. Oh well." Madison turned away and continued on. Shinji blinked, she thought his shyness was a front. She saw something else, not what Asuka saw. Shinji mentally slapped himself, of course she wasn't Asuka, he was being foolish into thinking that. Why was he thinking like that? 

Madison's reaction to him was a not only positive, but also heartening. Unlike Asuka, she seemed to like people, and unlike Rei... Rei was gone. After the fight with the Sixteenth Angel, that snake of light, she was forever changed, and that monster that swallowed up Unit-01 was a grotesque clone of her. What was the connection between the two? What did that monster have to do with Rei? Rei was able to get through to Shinji's father more than he ever could, her demeanour could crack through the leather on that man's shrunken black heart. Why did it seem that everyone who was better than Shinji were the first to be taken away.

Looking back at Madison, Shinji suddenly had a feeling as if he could see the very clock that counted the days until girl's death. The horrible illusion of mortality suddenly stole that light which he felt from the girl. She was much better than him and if fate would have it, she would die in the worst way possible. Was this God's wrath incarnate? That the great would fall and the meek shall forever suffer? 

The world was far too messed up. It all started when he set foot in Tokyo-3 and from then on, he was inside this dark epic of man's demise at the hands of an embittered and angry deity. He had found stability with the EVA, but it was painful, but now he had no ground to stay firm upon. EVA, the tool that was supposed to be used to make things right was now all gone. His value to humanity was over and all that was left was to wait to die.

But that couldn't be it. If it were, Shinji would have allowed himself to just drown in the sea. He willed himself to survive. To escape the storm on the coast, to lose the soldiers who were after him, to fight of Asuka when she went into a fit of insanity. 

Was she insane? No she was angry, and confused. Shinji had never even thought of raping Asuka. But then he was simply stating the same thing over and over. There was no way he could convince her. Unless he could prove my genetics the baby was not his. But then, who was it to say that he before hadn't raped her and that someone else impregnated her. No matter the scenario, Asuka could still accuse him of rape and he would not be able to escape.

"Here. Sit." Shinji did some, coming to rest in the chair that Madison offered. The boy solemnly scanned the room to see that there were very few people in the place; most were just plain-clothes visitors. "What do you want me to get for you?" Madison asked. Shinji shook his head.

"I'm not that hungry."

"But I could hear your stomach growling? Are you alright?" "Yes. I just... Lost my appetite." Madison paused for a moment then went to the counter to get some food. She returned with two bowls of soup. "Probably the best food they make here." Madison noted. Shinji looked up at her with a tired expression, seeing as she was forcing food upon him. She seemed to read him like a book though. "What? I just don't want you to get your appetite back and be forced to just watch me eat. It's good anyway." Shinji stared at the yellow broth and pushed the bowl away. Madison sat down across from him with a concerned look on her face. "It looks like you have something on your mind. Penny for your thoughts?" 

Shinji stared at Madison for a long while. Not long enough for her to feel uncomfortable, but enough for her to know just how difficult it was for him to even consider telling her about his problems.

"I... I had gotten into a fight with... A friend... Just recently..." Shinji squeezed out. "Is that why you're in the hospital? Because it looks as though it was a very bad fight." Madison observed. Shinji remembered that he and Asuka's feud had gotten pretty rough. He didn't have a mirror to see, but he knew that there were probably plenty of marks still on his body. 

"I guess."

"Is your former friend still around?" Shinji shrugged. "I don't know, when we were found my a group of soldiers... We got separated." "Soldiers? What kind?" "I don't know. I was... I think they spoke German." 

"Ah! They must have been one of the patrols on the NEC's borders."

"What's the NEC?" "Oh, I suppose you don't know. Well, now that NERV has technically become the European government, they formed the New European Commonwealth... Or something along those lines. Pretty much, it's just one big super nation run by the MAGI computer system. Oh damn! I said to much again." "You mean there were more than three?" Madison stared at Shinji strangely. "'More than three'? It sounds like you know more and more about NERV than you act like you do." Damn Shinji's big mouth. Now what was she going to do now that she knew he knew too damn much about NERV. "That information couldn't have just been found out by a fan." "Well I have a friend in Tokyo-3, she was an EVA pilot and she told me a few of the things I knew so long as I didn't tell them to anyone... But then, it's the end of the world, right?" "Who was your pilot friend?" 

"Her name was..." Shinji grabbed a name off the top of his head. "Rei Ayanami." Madison seemed to consider this answer for a moment and seemed to be satisfied by it.

"All right. Now about your friend. If you want I can always ask Tristan to run a search on the person if you want. That is... If you're still friends." Shinji looked away. "I really don't know what she thinks of me anymore." "She?" Shinji nodded. Madison gave a small smile. "So do you want me to check for you?" Shinji hesitated for a long moment then nodded. "Yes, I want to make sure she's alright." Madison nodded. "Okay, I'll do it for you." Madison started back on finishing her soup. "Hey Madison?" The girl looked up from the bowl. "Why are you being so nice to me?" Madison sat up and wiped her face with her napkin. "Because you seem like a nice guy, Shinji. Besides, it's nice to meet people I can actually have a normal conversation with. Hell, even Tristan is so preoccupied with his work that he rarely has a day off. Even then, he's often trying to find something to do at the base. I practically have to drag him out of that hole if I want to take him anywhere." Shinji smiled. "I really envy you, Madison. You and Tristan sound like really good friends." 

"Thanks!" Madison drew close. "But let me warn you that unless I'm around you should probably refer to him as Captain. He's a little bit touchy on who is allowed to call him what."

"Boy, that sounds a lot like my friend." "Oh yeah, you never told me your friend's name." "Uh?" Shinji looked like a deer caught in headlights for a moment. In Germany, Asuka's name could probably carry a lot more weight than his did. But then again, would a civilian actually know the name of Unit-02's pilot, considering just how secret NERV was. "Her name is Asuka Langley Sohryu." Madison thought about that name, looking up at the ceiling as her mind tried to make it stick after a few moments she nodded. "Okay. Asuka Sohryu. I can remember that." "Thank you." Shinji smiled and looked to the soup. He dragged it over and started eating. That act caused a pleasant smile to cross Madison's face.

* * *

Shinji sat on the examination table. The young doctor had given the boy a clean bill of health, but just as he was about to fill in the report, he seemed to have forgotten something and stepped out of the room.It had been two days since Shinji last met Madison. There was no news about Asuka, nor any sign of the girl from New Zealand, since that day. The possibility of Madison having lied about being a part of NERV crossed Shinji's mind. He quickly disregarded it, however, considering that Madison wouldn't have known as much about NERV as she did if she had been lying. 

Besides, the delay was probably because they were having trouble finding or contacting Asuka. For all Shinji knew, Asuka may not have come to Hamburg but could probably be roaming the streets of Berlin at this moment.

Shinji recalled the effects of Third Impact and wondered about what Asuka could be doing right now, if she was in Berlin. No doubt she would have a hard time trying to find any of her old friends, and her home could very well be empty. What was she thinking about? Was she trying to pick up the pieces of her old life before EVA? Or was she trying to forge a new one? Because she was already a college graduate, she no doubt had the skills to get a well-paying job and the openings for such a career were probably huge. A girl like her could easily find a good life here. Shinji on the other hand, really didn't have anything.

All Shinji really had to call his own was the EVA and now they were all gone, a phantom of NERV's past. It was now forgotten. The organization was pushing ahead as the new government of the NEC. Shinji was in high school, but that meant he didn't have the necessary skills to survive as an adult. Most other children his age lived and were cared for by his parents, and Shinji didn't want or was denied such supervisors.

The door to the room clicked open and Shinji looked up. He blinked in surprise as he saw a grim looking man in an ash grey business suit and dark sunglasses open the portal. A second stood outside, glowering at the boy. From around the second agent, a familiar individual stepped into view. Shinji knew that he had never met him before, but had seen him. The bodyguards looked unfriendly, but this young man, barely older than him, looked downright cold. 

"Shinji Ikari?" The young man asked. Shinji finally recognized him as the boy who Madison had drawn so many times in his sketchbook. The captain of E-NERV.

"Uh... Yes?"  
"Approximately thirty-six hours ago you came across an individual calling herself Madison Timlitt. Is that correct?" Shinji felt a pang of worry, as if he had just done something wrong and had never known it was a crime. "Yes." "And you asked her about an individual known as Asuka Langley Sohryu." Shinji swallowed. "Yes." The captain walked into the room, pulled up a chair and nodded to the two agents. They closed the door and stood in the hallway. The young man turned to Shinji. "Let's talk." 

**_To Be Continued..._**

Author's Notes  
I apologize for the unexpected hiatus. Big changes were occurring in my college life and so I didn't have much chance to get back to writing the fic. Aside from the fact that I also got a brand-spanking new computer and had to reinstall all my old programs and files. That was a real pain. But now I'm back and hitting the keyboard.

As promised, this chapter features Shinji, but it also introduces Madison. At first, I felt the chapter was going nowhere, but like always, a blaze of inspiration allowed me to propel the story forward once again.

I've had a long chat with Steve about the future of PRE and thanks to meticulous attention to several details and terrific suggestions, I think the future of this fan fiction will get better and better as the story goes on. Keep watch, and keep sending in those reviews, I'm a comment whore so hearing your praise and encouragement helps push me forward. I hope you enjoy this chapter and look forward to future instalments of Primum Revelation.


	9. Domestic Life

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 9: Domestic Life  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
__German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

Asuka continued to tap the keys on the laptop, not noticing at first that the list had finally reached its end. No name that she could recognize. Sitting back, she wiped her weary eyes, trying to get them to tear up so that she could actually see again. Looking back at the white screen of names, she gave a defeated sigh. She had been sitting in the same damn place for the last hour only to know that no one she knew existed anymore.

Taking advantage of her connection to a large but limited part of E-NERV's data, she had begun searching a database of 'registered' citizens in the NEC. Those who the government recognized as survivors and now citizens of the NEC were included here. The reason for the list was in order for friends and family to be found and reunited. But it also managed to kill the hope for some people of seeing their loved ones. Deep down, Asuka knew that she had no loved one in Europe when she had first left, but she still felt compelled to look and see for certain.

Asuka picked up the cup of noodles she had prepared and slurped up a mouthful. She looked thoughtfully at the utensil she had used. A fork. For practically a year she had been eating using chopsticks. It felt unnatural to be eating with a piece of metal. For that matter, it was downright ironic that she was only capable of preparing instant Japanese foods like noodles and rice. She really wanted to start eating heavier foods, REAL foods, but she was a pilot, not a chef, so most snacks were simply junk food or noodle cups.

After a few more forkfuls, Asuka put the cup aside and went over the list again, easily spying Tristan's name, and then landing on Shinji's. It wasn't much of a surprise that the boy had managed to survive and that he would be inducted into the NEC, but she retained a feeling of trepidation. Now that he knew that Asuka was aware of her rape and the lengths from which she would go to get her revenge, she didn't know how he would react. More than likely he would shy away even more than before, but Asuka had seen something else when they fought, something far more dangerous. Shinji could very well become the killer he always seemed to have beneath him. After all, he tried to kill her several times, and in the dream-like slumber of rebirth he tried to kill her again. They were now bitter enemies.

Asuka looked away from the computer and outside to the cloudy day in Hamburg. She knew better than to believe that she and Shinji had actually been friends at one time. For that matter, their relationship as comrades had always been strained. Like two people forced together by circumstances beyond their control, they simply had to tolerate one another. Thank God, the real world didn't work like the movies, dodging that stereotype of sexual tension between the two of them. Asuka placed a hand on her abdomen thoughtfully. But she could only speak for herself, Shinji may have thought in the opposite way. Damn that boy's hide. Maybe there was still time to reconsider; after all, beyond the morning sickness she wasn't completely pregnant. Most abortions could be done in the first trimester. They were legal. She could be fine. Asuka forced the thought away for what seemed like the umpteenth time. She wouldn't be able to live with herself if she treated her child the same way her mother did. Despite sensing her mother's presence in Unit-02, the exhilarating sensation was soon lost. No matter how much the spirit of Asuka's mother tried to repent, there was no way that Asuka could forgive her. Not completely. She wasn't about to cast away her child life as if it were an inconvenience. But then, it was going to be an inconvenience and a responsibility that Asuka couldn't handle. She would be looking at the product of her rape for the rest of her life, her career as an Evangelion pilot would get in the way, and even though she could get through college, she knew that children were something different entirely. Asuka knew, deep down, she couldn't keep the child. It would be unfair to the both of them. 

Asuka sighed again and seizing the cup, pulled another fork full of noodles to the surface. She looked back at the monitor screen and with an annoyed look on her face, tapped a key, causing Shinji's name to disappear onto another page, while another was brought up. Even without the source of her previous train of thought, Asuka still felt depressed about the decision she had settled on. As time went on she knew that she would become more attached to the child, and it would be more difficult to give it up. She would have to maintain her resolve as much as she could. Maybe the feeling wouldn't be so paid and her self-made prophecy not so difficult if she actually had other people to support her. Asuka might become tempted to keep the child out of loneliness and seeing as none of her friends were alive, that would be the most likely scenario.

Thinking about the relationships Asuka had with others, there was little stopping her from immediately calling people she had met to her mind. Shigeru was missing as was Doctor Powell, the little rapist was somewhere in Germany, which left Tristan, Madison, and Commander Septerra, as the only other people Asuka had met. Asuka remembered numerous times that Tristan had spoken about or mentioned someone named Lieutenant Sai, but she never had the change to meet this person, despite the fact that he should have been at the staff meeting Madison had missed. 

Tristan, her former rival, her current commander, Asuka considered Tristan as someone who was only a little less frustrating that the old Shinji Ikari had been, but much more difficult, talking back and throwing insults just as quickly as she could throw them. His station in E-NERV made him untouchable, and he kept dwelling in the past. After Third Impact, Asuka thought that if Tristan would return, he would simply be his usual cranky self, a determined pilot and someone she could respect in some way. However, it seemed that he was one to carry a grudge for far too long. The past was beyond both of them now, and they needed to live in the present. The bastard would never see it her way though. Whenever she tried to put a word in edgewise, he would ignore her, as if his work could only be put on hold for him to send a few mean comments Asuka's way. It made her want to rip his hair out. Asuka accented the sensation by curling her fingers in the air as if to grab a clump of an imaginary Tristan's hair.

Madison was no better than Rei in her act of superiority. Asuka could easily see that the girl was completely gaga for the E-NERV captain, and it seemed so typical that the big jerk wouldn't notice. The Aussie should have gotten a clue in how Tristan would always ignore her, but she seemed adamant in the belief that the two of them had a relationship, 'good friends' as Madison had said it. Asuka could never manage to figure out what Madison actually did in E-NERV and Asuka knew it would be pointless to ask, that girl's head was full of air, fidgeting around and acting really dumb. She was a good artist, but what good was that in this time of reconstruction? Of course, Asuka already knew the answer. The people of Hamburg, of the NEC, were part of a very unique generation, much like the one that Misato and Kaji belonged to. They were a generation who had lived through to major eras in humankind and unlike Second Impact, there was really no way once could effectively describe Third Impact in a scientific method. People had changed, and were now stranded in foreign places. Also artists had a closer link to the universal unconscious, a term coined by a Gustav Jung, a fellow who Asuka had studied during college. They were the ultimate linguists, their ideas bridging the chasm of language. Asuka was glad she was a member of these proud few, an experienced musician herself, but she felt no sense of camaraderie with the girl from New Zealand. Deep down, she hated her.

'Hate is a word you don't understand.'

The echo of Tristan's words came rattling back to Asuka. She remembered the argument occurred in the elevator of Tower Four not but a few days ago. She didn't know why they remained, considered they had so little impact. Wasn't it because Tristan was reprimanding her for using such a strong word in everything she did? But it was true; hate was something that spurned away everything and everyone. But it was also something that she could use in order to push away those she didn't want to interact with. Like Tristan and Madison.

Then there was Commander Septerra, more appropriately the Sub-Commander of E-NERV, but no matter how hard Asuka tried, she could never manage to find the name of the real commander of the organization. Assuming it was a he, the commander was an enigma and everyone who she asked as to who the real commander was tended to ignore the question. She wanted to know why however. But until then, she had to settle for the scraps they were giving her. After all it had been a year since she was last a member of E-NERV, a lot of things have changed over that time, I she couldn't begin to imagine what else changed. They were wary, however Septerra was more than willing to give some information. Especially about Asuka's mother.

Looking out the window, Asuka allowed the memories to unfold.

* * *

"Do you want anything? Coffee? Juice?" Septerra offered."Water's fine." Asuka responded, still staring at the small table. Septerra nodded and pulled out a glass. The sub-commander's office was surprising spacious in Tower Four. A, wet bar, and seating for guests, were available. This was more likely to belong in a corporate office building than a paramilitary facility. The commander put a glass of clear liquid in front of Asuka and sat down on the opposite side with a mug of coffee. "You do understand why NERV personnel speak Japanese, correct?" Asuka nodded. "German has become such a common language in Europe, and due to the confidentiality of our work, it's best we speak in a less common tongue." Septerra gave a grunt of contentment. "That's a very textbook answer, Miss Sohryu. Have you been brushing up on your manual since you have been here?" "Of course not. I know the rules by heart. Could we..." "Get to business?" Septerra finished. The German girl nodded and he sighed. "Always the most direct. Well, I can't say that I was an intimate friend of your mother's. That is, on a first name basis. I was working in a separate branch of NERV at the time. Sometimes she would work well into the night in order to achieve another milestone in her projects. But that wasn't to say she wasn't unfriendly. She was more focused on her work." Asuka didn't respond. This sounded a lot like her mother. "Professor Sohryu wasn't a shut-in to say the least though. She often mingled with the lowly lab technicians. But no one else. I tried my best to make friends with her, considering we were both peers. However, as soon as we became acquainted, she would drift away back to her own department. Her passion was her projects, as I've said before." Septerra noticed Asuka's silence and paused, taking a sip of his coffee. "But I'm not here to talk about Professor Sohryu only. This is intended to be a two way conversation." "I understand." Asuka murmured. "Quid pro quo, right?" Septerra nodded. "To tell you the truth, I really never knew my mother that well. To be honest, I hoped you had known her so that I would have something... Or... When I was a child I never understood what my mother did, and even now I have trouble coming to terms with it. She was my mother, but at the same time, she was a stranger. The bond between mother and child is supposed to be considered the strongest-" "The bear fights to the death for her cubs." Septerra added. 

"But between us, there was nothing. My mother was always at work, and my father was always busy, so I was often left being passed like a hot potato between their workplaces." She looked up at Septerra who seemed unfazed. "Of course, that doesn't matter you, does it?"

"Indirectly it does. From the sound of it, you are already presenting Professor Sohryu in a different light. It's your choice what you tell me, if anything at all. I asked you down here because I wanted to know more about Kyoko, but now it seems that we are indeed going to scratch each other's backs." Septerra took another sip from his cup. "Well then? How was she like at home?" "As you already have guessed, my mother wasn't often at home. In fact, neither I, nor my parents were ever at home. They were at their jobs and I was always alone to be babysat by a lobby secretary. When we were home, we were nothing like a normal family. Hell, we couldn't even sit at the table for a nice dinner without my parents getting into fights about something. For that matter, I don't even know who would cook, considering the amount of work both of my parents did. "I could never understand what they were always fighting about. I was too young to know. But their arguments never upset me, after awhile, I was able to just screen them out and stop listening. In their arguments it didn't really seem that important to them that I was still in the room. I think they thought I was invisible. Their quarrels were more important. "Often, my mother would shut herself off in her office at home. Continuing to work, if she wasn't having a fight with my father, that is. My father would often be fuming; I could often hear him storming around. He was always upset, always under stress. When I think about it, the two of them never would have married if they had always argued as badly as they did. So I know that their arguments were not an old thing. 

"I know now that my mother was to develop Unit-02, that she had gotten so enthralled in her research. Though I never understood why. I never understood..." Asuka gave a growl of frustration, more to herself than to the commander. She stood. "I'm not getting anywhere. I don't know what you think but I never knew my mother. And why am I telling you my life story, no doubt you already know everyone about me. I'm sorry, but..." Septerra stood up and looked down at Asuka with soft eyes.

"That is alright Ms. Sohryu. What you have told is enough to tell me a little bit more about your mother." "What is so important about my mother to you, anyway?" Septerra hesitated. "If you have brought me down here, you might as well tell me why." Septerra looked away. "Before NERV and Second Impact, your mother and I were friends... However, when I finally came to NERV she seemed to no longer recognize me. As if I an old friend was no longer important. I wanted to know the reason for her pushing people away. What caused her to-" He glanced at Asuka, as if sensing the delicacy of the matter. 

"Kill herself?" Asuka asked. It hurt to say those words, but it seemed that Septerra would forever be trapped on those words if she didn't say something. The commander nodded. "I'm sorry I couldn't have been of any other help."

"Don't worry, your time will come." Asuka looked up at the commander, who turned and gave her a friendly grin. "You are home Asuka."

* * *

Home. That was the last thing he had said before she left. They were words of encouragement to be sure, but there seemed to be a deeper meaning in them. Septerra was a friend of her mother, but he seemed more interested in satisfying his own quandaries, rather than hers. How like others. But perhaps he simply wasn't satisfied with her answers, that she was too held back. God, what was with this raging sense of inadequacy she was feeling? Asuka almost felt like she was licking the boots of her superiors. She was so pathetic. With the prospect of becoming an Evangelion pilot again she seemed to be trying to do everything within her power to receive that honour again. Did she only live for Eva? How pathetic could that be? No, she lived for her glory and the best path was with Eva, so it was natural that she wanted to impress her superiors. Except for one. 

Tristan never deserved her respect or anything for that matter. He didn't even deserve the honour of being considered her rival. He was nothing but an irritating little dog, barking away to act tough. His façade had managed to get him a ditzy girlfriend out of Madison, no matter how much either of them denied it. Asuka was so glad that he had failed to become Unit-02's pilot. He didn't have the spine for it.

Who was she kidding? Asuka had lost the war; both Shinji and the Angels were able to beat her. But how, when she had such incredible test scores? She was the best? What failed her, what could have been lacking in her or her Eva? A flash of a white demon crossed Asuka's mind. Her mother was fighting with her, through the Eva, when Asuka faced the Eva series. Could she have been what was holding her back, a selfish woman who knew her death was...

Flashes of the Lance of Longinus and the Eva's circling like buzzards came to mind. Asuka's mother knew she was going to die. It was a last ditch effort to redeem herself, to try and make herself seem like her daughter's saviour. However, that lie was blatant, she only cared for herself. Given the chance, Asuka would have thrown herself into the void of death to escape this horrid reality. But that choice was lost, stolen by Shinji. Asuka grit her teeth. That bastard would never leave her alone. Asuka looked at the cup of noodles and her lip curled in disgust.

* * *

The situation felt familiar: Shinji standing at the door to an apartment with a superior officer open the door for him. It was like his entrance into Tokyo-3 all over again. The officer turned to him. 

"Come in. My home is your home." The young man offered. Shinji hesitated. If he protested was he going to get the same reaction as he did from Misato?

"Maybe I should just get my own apartment, sir." "We're not in NERV anymore, you can dispense with the formalities. You can call me Tristan. As for where you are staying, I could understand your trepidation in living with a superior officer, if you hadn't bunked with one already in Tokyo-3. I want to ensure that you have a comfortable acclimatization to living in the NEC. Besides, you don't even know any German, do you?" "Well, I know a little." "Perhaps if you want to pantomime your wants and needs all day. You might not think this, but living in a completely different country isn't very simple. You might have not been able to see it, but I am sure that Ms. Sohryu had difficult adjusting to living in Japan." Shinji shifted his weight on the mention of anything related to Asuka's name. Tristan noticed it. He was clearly still uncomfortable about talking about her. No surprise. 

"I don't want to be a bother." Shinji protested again. Tristan frowned.

"You make it sound like my home isn't good enough for you. I am making it very clear as to how prudent it would be to live with a German. I can assure you that you will not be a bother, besides, it would be nice to have someone to talk to." Shinji shifted his weight to the other foot, still uneasy. "Would you stop being so difficult? Come inside!" Tristan barked. By no means was he Misato. For that matter how could he? She was dead after all. 

The boy took a cautious step toward the door. Before he could reconsider, Tristan nudged him the rest of the way in. Shinji looked over his shoulder as Tristan stood at the doorway, blocking his exit.

"See? That wasn't so hard, was it?" Shinji stepped across the threshold and turned back to Tristan. "I guess not. Are you-" 

"Yes! Positive! Absolutely! In fact, I'm tickled pink!" Tristan responded, closing the door. The captain knelt down and untied his shoes. Shinji looked down at his attire. Khaki shorts, red T-shirt and black sneakers, the possessions that he had actually kept were very few and sparse. But it felt right to have something that he could call his own. Setting down his bag, to took off his shoes and put them neatly against the wall. Tristan was already done and passed his new roommate.

"I'm home." Tristan announced to the silence. Shinji looked at him strangely. "Do you always do that?" "Yes, it's become a force of habit." Shinji blinked and frowned. Had he unwittingly volunteered to live with a lunatic? "Home sweet home. You can leave your bag wherever you wish. I have to put these files away. Make yourself at home." Tristan disappeared down a hallway. 

Shinji slowly walked through the living space, taking in the almost alien feel of the place. The apartment was surprisingly spacious, but oppressive at the same time. With little lighting, carpets, and the permanence of wooden doors, it gave the apartment a stuff feeling. It was also different and something Shinji was unused to. Before Asuka went for his throat, they had stayed in a place similar to this one, though for the life of him, he couldn't recall where they had been.

"Hey." Shinji turned to see Tristan standing in the hallway, sans his jacket to reveal the tank top and bandages on his forearms, the same ones in the sketch Madison had made of the captain. "Are you just going to stand there looking like to haven't a though in your head." Shinji blinked.

"Oh, uh, sorry." Tristan jutted a thumb over his shoulder. "Your room is the second door on the right. The first is the bathroom." Shinji nodded. Tristan passed him and started walking into the kitchen. "Um... Captain?" "Tristan." He corrected. "Sorry." Shinji paused. "Thank you for your hospitality." Tristan turned and gave the boy a faint grin. "That's the smartest thing you've done all day." The captain crossed his arms. "Hearing some gratitude is very fulfilling, and it often encourages someone to persist with that behaviour." "Positive reinforcement?" "That's right." Shinji looked at Tristan quizzically for a moment. Although they were striking up a conversation, it seemed odd to Shinji. "You seem to know a lot about psychology." "Uh, well it's nothing really. Just basic stuff." "Actually, not many high schools talk much about psychology, even in the senior year. Oh, I forgot. You're from Japan." Shinji nodded. "But why don't you just put your stuff down, we can chat in the kitchen when you're done." The boy watched as his host turned his back and walked away. There were a lot of adjustments in life Shinji would have to be prepared for. Unlike moving to Tokyo-3, however, living in the NEC was going to be a complete shift in culture. Maybe, in some way, he could understand what Asuka must have been going through when she moved to Tokyo-3. The time before Third Impact seemed to be fading fast, the memories already aging and fossilizing, being buried under these new experiences that he was witness to. It was a frightening prospect to be forced to forget, but he couldn't cause time to stop, he wasn't God. And if he could, it wouldn't be fair to all others. It was bad enough one person vilified him. 

Shinji turned the doorknob and opened the door to his new room. Sunlight shone from the half-blinded windows onto a floor of blue carpet. The room was Spartan, much like his room when he first came to Tokyo-3, but more spacious. Clearly, it was NERV's policy to completely furnish the living quarters of any personnel, but it seemed the meaning of fully was a lot clearer now. Unlike last time, Shinji didn't have that many possessions in order to call his own. Food and clothing in a knapsack was all there was.

Shinji placed his bag down on the foot of the bed and scanned the room again. Again he thought about Asuka. She had also been recruited into NERV. God help him if they were ever to meet. 

Shinji looked out the window. Why did he agree to become a member of NERV again? There was the Vanguard Report to be sure, but that was simply a theory. What also puzzled him was the fact that Tristan claimed that they already had acquired several Evangelions from other NERV compounds, but he never explained how that was possible. He had denied that any Evangelions beyond the third unit were deployed to Tokyo-3 on any sort of mission. The problem was, though, what were the creatures that Asuka died fighting? Whenever Shinji tried to find out that answer, Tristan or one of the other NERV staff would dodge it. It wasn't in Shinji's nature to press his quandaries, but it seemed as though NERV was still trying to keep secrets away from him.

Although Shinji hadn't seen these Evas that NERV had, he was certain that they were going to ask him to pilot one. He had expected that from the start, when they gave him the offer. But he seemed not so troubled by the prospect of piloting. Was it like an addiction? A fascination with becoming the mind behind a mortal god?

A memory seemed to bubble to the surface, a montage of images of snarling faces and kind words, but Shinji couldn't place where the memory came from. A memory from rebirth, obviously. Any sort of madness such as this would always be dismissed as memories of rebirth. It felt as though there was something necessary to that train of thought, as if he could analyze the dream or his thoughts concerning the vision in greater detail, but that was just another case of his brain over analyzing. He no longer felt jaded. Hypersensitive seemed like the right word however.

Realizing he had left Tristan waiting in the kitchen, Shinji turned away from the room. Tristan was seating in a chair and leaning against the table.

"What took you so long? Did you get lost?" Shinji frowned, feeling a little offended by the remark. "No, it's just that..." Shinji trailed off, he really didn't know how to describe it. Tristan simply sighed and looked away, not really seeming all that interested in picking a fight. 

"Big day?" The captain concluded. Shinji looked at him.

"Yeah. Kind of." "It takes awhile to adjust to any change, but humans are adaptable. You'll get used to Third Impact, the last generation managed." Shinji nodded. Tristan gestured towards one the chairs at the table, offering the boy a seat. He took one directly opposite to his commanding officer. 

"So what do you want to talk about?"

"Anything. I'd like to get to know the famous Third Child and since we are going to be roommates you probably want to know a little more about me." Shinji already felt a little withdraw, the use of the name Third Child was something that only Asuka referred to him as for the longest time. God, he couldn't seem to get the redhead off of his mind, it was getting bothersome. "Hey are you even listening to me?" "Sorry, I got... Lost in thought." "Is it everything or nothing?" Shinji blinked. "I would guess the latter." "What?" "What you're thinking about. You seem so distracted, as if you were paranoid or something. Though I guess I shouldn't be surprised, what with your report saying you were prone to fits of depression." "My report?" "Of course, seeing that you are a pilot, your data is in the universal NERV databases so we could easily find out everything about you, my friend. Excluding a couple of months prior to Third Impact, you are an open book." "Are you authorized to know that information?" "I'm a captain and an operations director, this is important information." "Oh. I thought Madison was just kidding about you holding such a high rank in NERV." "Even a cockroach that can manage to breath the same air as the Red Devil deserves a twenty-one gun salute at its funeral." "The Red Devil? Do you mean Asuka?" Tristan nodded. "You lived with her?" This question startled the captain however. "What? No, no! Nothing like that." Tristan quickly calmed down and leaned forward. "We grew up together. We both attended the same schools and college. Both of us were being trained to become Evangelion pilots in Berlin." "You were going to become an Evangelion pilot?" 

"That's right. Or rather, I was supposed to become an Evangelion pilot." Shinji stifled his surprised and waited for the explanation. "Asuka and I were both hard working students in both the classroom and in the entry plug. We constantly competed to see who was the better Evangelion pilot. It was a sick twist of fate that caused Asuka to be chosen as Unit-02's designated pilot." There was a silence for a moment. Neither of the youths spoke.

"What happened?" Tristan leaned back in his seat with a sigh. "It's nothing really, I really don't want to go into detail about it." Another lengthy pause. "How is Asuka anyway?" Shinji asked. Tristan looked at the boy, but he could tell that it was concerning a different appraisal than when they first met. It was as if he noticed something different about Shinji. As if some drastic transformation had occurred while Tristan wasn't aware. The look faded into that of neutrality. 

"She's doing fine I suppose. You should already know that she has also decided to rejoin NERV. She already has an apartment nearby and she's living on her own."

"That's good." Another length of silence. Tristan sniffed the air. "I don't mean to be rude, but when was the last time you bathed." The question was direct and blunt and Shinji was surprised that his host would ask such a question. But the truth it, he hadn't bathed at all to his knowledge. He might have gotten a bath while he was unconscious but that was probably doubtful. He was probably fairly ripe after two months out on the road. "Why don't you grab some extra clothes and go take a shower. Use as much soap as you need." 

"Okay." Shinji rose from his seat and took his exit into the hall.

"And if he gives you a hard time, tell him I'm making his lunch." Tristan called after his roommate. Halfway down the hall, Shinji looked over his shoulder. That seemed odd. Grabbing a set of loose clothing from his room, Shinji tapped on the bathroom door. He heard nothing from within. "You in there?" Shinji asked the unknown visitor. There was no answer. "Tristan said he's making lunch now and I should take a shower." Still no answer. After a pause, Shinji gripped the doorknob. "I'm coming in!" He announced. Much like the rest of the apartment, the bathroom was something that Shinji wasn't used to seeing. The sink, toilet, shower, and bathtub were all in the same area without any divider. Several towels hung from a rack and several others were stacked on a shelf. One more was folded neatly on the closed toilet. Two plastic pails were placed between the bathtub and the toilet. Shinji scanned the room and couldn't see a soul. "In a splash of could water, something's head popped out from the tub and made a noise of contentment. Shinji stared at astonishment at the sight. The creature, sensing the visitor, snapped its head around to stare at the intruder. Green eyes met blue and the bather opened his mouth to respond. "Wark?" Shinji blinked, spluttering in order to form words. The creature cocked its head at him, giving him a queer look. "Warr...?" 

"Pen-Pen!" Shinji cried out. The penguin gave a similar outburst of surprise and joy, leaping out of the tub. In the spray of icy water, the two old friends embraced. Tristan, having come to investigate the commotion, stood at the doorway seeing the two. He really wasn't sure how to react but folded his arms and watched.

Shinji, his front drenched in water, looked up at his host and smiled. Tristan smiled back and the exchange added a third person as the penguin looked between the two young men. "Hey bird, I'm making lunch." Tristan announced. Pen-pen immediately realized what that meant and pushing away from Shinji, scampered out the door and towards the kitchen. The captain watched the bird leave and then looked at Shinji. "That's amazing. I- I can't believe he's still alive." "The bird? Of course. He came out of the ocean only a couple of weeks after I had." "Why do you just call him 'bird'?" Tristan shrugged. "I didn't know what his name was at the time and he seemed to not mind being referred to the name I chose." "Well, he used to have a collar connected to a..." Shinji paused; realizing that describing the coolant apparatus that used to be on Pen-Pen's back would cause more strange looks than understanding. "Well, just a collar, with his name." "Well he sure didn't have it when NERV found him." "Why is he living with you?" "I don't know. I guess I kind of felt lonely living here alone, so I thought it would be nice to have some kind of a roommate. Especially one that doesn't complain." Tristan paused. "What's his name again?" "Pen-pen. At least, that is was Misato had called him." Tristan nodded. "Oh yes, your guardian in Tokyo-3." Shinji nodded. A thought occurred to him. "Are you supposed to be my guardian?" Tristan looked at him strangely. "No, I don't think so. After all, we are both the same age and it's assumed that most Evangelion pilots do live alone so they should be responsible enough. That's why Asuka is living on her own. The only reason you're rooming up with me is because you don't know the city or the language. Okay, we've been through this." "I know." Shinji got up off the floor. He glanced over to the full tub. 

"You can drain the tub now, I'm sure he's finished." Tristan stated, pre-empting Shinji's question. "Take a good shower and wear some fresh clothes. I should have our lunch finished by then." He closed the door, leaving Shinji in the solitude of the bathroom.

The boy stepped over to the tub and unplugged it, listening to the gurgle of the pipes, the falling water, and the gradual slide of the ice cubes still remaining in the tub. Even though Germany was much closer to the northern circle than Japan, it seemed the warm water penguin still enjoyed his ice baths. At least that stayed the same. The question was where did he live now? Shinji didn't see any extra refrigerators in the kitchen, perhaps that would be something to ask during lunch.

_**To Be Continued...**_

Author's Notes  
And with that another character that didn't have much influence is returned to the story. This new arrival will likely stir up plenty of questions and those will probably be answered in later chapters.  
You may notice that the 'feel' of Tristan's character has changed. You may end up noticing these shifts from time to time depending on character perspective. Just like in the series with "Asuka's Lament", Shinji would see Europeans as a more bold and blunt kind of people. I wanted to maintain that Japanese perspective in the case of Shinji, but make the tone more serious when Asuka is speaking because she doesn't see things the same way as Shinji. Or this could just be a smokescreen in order to obscure this clear screw up. Call it what you will, this is my first fan fiction after all.  
A recent review has also reminded me that I may have continued to be careless not with my German, what with signing Steve on board the good ship PRE, but the fact that I am forgetting about summarizing what is being said. Mostly this is only an issue with conversations experienced through everyone but Shinji's perspective. I will try and catch these errors and fix them in later chapters. Further, I will not cheat or cop out by simply translating things; I see it only causing more trouble in the future.


	10. Test Line

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation  
**Chapter 10: Test Line  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

There was something very agreeable about being in an entry plug again. The movement of LCL through the lungs. The blue haze of the unexercised liquid gave a sense of twilight to the space. The controls were the same and was the distant hum of the motors inside the pilot seat. Shinji looked down at his arm. The darkness of the plug made it difficult for him to see his plug suit. His new suit was a silver colour with white accents to match the paint scheme of his machine. It wasn't surprising, considering it was the production model and onward that the suits followed the same pattern as the Evangelions.

The Evangelion that Shinji was the pilot, Unit-06 as it was called, was different from the ones that had been in Tokyo-3. However, he could fathom a guess that Unit-04 may have had similar stylings as the one he was to be the pilot of. White as snow, Tristan said the technicians liked to call it Purity. The technology of the Evangelion had changed. There were still the limitations of the battery and the umbilical cord, but the armour was reinforced, but was lighter than the original composite used in Unit-01. They had also claimed to have it retain a larger arsenal of equipment, including a second progressive knife and carbon flak launcher in the shoulders. It had taken Shinji some time to understand where the carbon launcher came from, until he discovered that E-NERV had built the prototype into Unit-02.

Ultimately, Tristan claimed that Unit-06 and sister machine Unit-05 were the most optimized Evangelions in the world by NEC standards. Unit-08 would logically be equivalent then or better than the one Shinji was designated to pilot, but it was still being reverse engineered, the newer technology applied, and reconstructed.

Shinji lifted his hand and flexed it, the plug suit and the plug's feedback system quickly sent signals of limited movement, simulating the same sensation in the now much more restricted Evangelion. But then, what was the need for more armour and weaponry for the Evangelions. Although their speed was increased by the lighter polymers, they lost more of their agility. Considering the speed and precision needed for many of the battles against the Angels, the added firepower would be a hindrance rather than a help.

"Pilot Ikari, your synchronization is dropping." Indicated one of the technicians in the monitoring station. Shinji jumped in surprise.

"Ikari, quit daydreaming a focus on what you are doing!" Tristan barked into the microphone. Shinji winced and grabbed the hands again and closed his eyes. The captain was his usual self as promised, a hard ass operations director who had high expectations for Shinji's abilities during the test. The boy began focusing on his synchronization, imagining the phantom limbs of the Evangelion and trying to push his consciousness into every corner of the Evangelion's body. As he did so, Shinji's mind wandered about the surface of Unit-06. Moving from the sturdy legs; the smooth, angled plates on it's torso; over the armour of weapons in the shoulder braces; and to the monstrous head.

Unit-06's appearance seemed to have been drawn from Unit-01, with the long sloping form, and the halo in the lower back of the head. This model however was devoid of that awkward horn and the face had been sunken in to form something like an open face help rather than a mask, with two glassy cerulean eyes staring out.

"That's better." Tristan congratulated in the voice of superior who's demands had been met. Shinji smiled a little to himself, a wash of contentment coming across him from this response of gratification. Shinji's eye and finger twitched for a second, an involuntary tic, but something that was going to hold a lot more meaning for the technicians. Shinji opened his eyes and looked forward, listening intently for a response while he focused the simulated body to move forward. Of course, he felt no movement, the simulation body being nothing but a plug connected to monitoring devices. However, even this dry run helped to limber him up in order to do the real thing.

Shinji had to be prepared this time around, to be able to throw himself fully into being able to fight the Angels. This new Evangelion was going to present new dynamics to his strategy in fighting the monsters. If the Angels were only to get more powerful, they were probably not going to give Shinji any grace when it came to the first battle.

There was no one else aside from Asuka who was experienced in piloting Evangelions and Shinji wasn't certain the German girl was capable of piloting Evangelions. Could it have just been a miracle that had occurred? Tristan had said that it didn't matter whether Asuka was capable or not, Shinji had chosen to become a pilot, he had signed up, and now here he was.

Was Shinji a fool for deciding on this course of action? Shinji thought about it and thought about Rei's reason to pilot. She felt it was her duty to protect the human race. Ritsuko had said that she nothing more than a soulless creation, but that didn't seem right. Rei wasn't a machine. Another twitch, and the flicker of Rei's visage first as the girl who always was looking out the classroom window, to the monstrosity that consumed Unit-01 in his nightmares.

"Shinji, you synch ratio is fluctuating. Focus!" Tristan repeated. Shinji furrowed his brow in deeper concentration. Enough pointless thoughts, Tristan was getting angry.

* * *

If frustration beaded on one's forehead like sweat, Tristan would be soaked. The star pilot of Tokyo-3 wasn't even pulling his earliest of test scores and it was starting to make the captain look like a fool. He glanced around the box to find none of the technicians looking at him. He knew the look on their faces though, a streak of disappointment concerning Shinji. They would say something if they could, but Tristan was too high of a rank and among them, he was the most experienced in dealing with synchronizations and plug tests. They ought to have a head technician, but it seemed that no one with enough experience with the Evangelions could be found.

The deficient qualifications of E-NERV's staff made Tristan anxious. Without a properly running hierarchy, the political structure of Tower Four was unstable. It would only require one bullet into one person in order to cause this house of cards to come crashing down. They were vulnerable.

Tristan refocused on Shinji's test scores. He wished that these numbers could have been attributed to Third Impact, but that wasn't correct and he knew very well. The interference was from Shinji's experiences. The analysis of the pilot's psyche prior to Third Impact was getting close to a suicidal depression. Piloting EVA was tearing the kid apart. No doubt a lot of bad memories were now tied to that entry plug. Tristan just wanted to believe that his roommate could pull out of it, a hope that was unlikely at best.

Shinji was a natural pilot so he likely couldn't actually place himself in a state of mind in which he could pilot an Evangelion. Asuka on the other hand, had to be trained to synchronize, something that he and Asuka both had to learn. The program the two German children had been put to involved physical and mental conditioning, something their attitudes and competitiveness helped facilitate. Shinji on the other hand seemed more delicate in both mind and body. But the trade-off was the pilot who not only lacked the drive to pilot, but also one that was too slow in regaining his original synch ratio.

The decision was obvious then, he would have to build Shinji up from scratch.

Tristan leaned over the computer terminal and took hold of the microphone. "You're finished now Shinji. Take a shower and get some lunch, I want to see you in my office at seventeen hundred."

"Yes sir." Shinji's voice was weak on the microphone as his eyes stared blanked at the end of the plug, oblivious to the camera seated just above his head and sending a constant feed of him to the box's main monitor.

Standing up, Tristan glanced around at the technicians. None gave protest to the ending of the test, they were already aware that Shinji wasn't going to get any better today. Tristan picked up his notebook and left the box.

"So how are Shinji's test scores coming along?" A cheery voice chirped not three paces out of the door. Tristan looked over his shoulder to see his shadow, Madison, standing next to the door smiling at him.

"You seem in a good mood." Tristan murmured. He started walking down the corridor, Madison quickly falling into step next to him.

"I got over the end of the world." She responded. It was a common thing for Madison to say. She lost everyone she ever knew and she was the kind of person who required the presence of family in order to get by. Although Tristan couldn't fully understand what she was going through, he knew that she was simply putting a brave face on things. It made he a stronger person, he knew, but he could imagine that she will crack some day.

"Shinji's tests are…" Tristan paused, trying to find the right word.

"Better than you believed?" She suggested. Tristan sighed.

"Less, actually." Madison's energy seemed to ebb upon hearing the statement. "Shinji has become more disheartened. No doubt the number of upheavals he's faced in this year of his life has begun to where him out."

"So he can't be a pilot?"

"If the Angels do come back, he will just be a target, the way he is right now."

"What are you going to do?"

"He wasn't exactly trained to be a pilot, he got by on his natural ability alone. But it seems that talent has escaped him."

"Can Tower Four train pilots?"

"Yes and no. A lot of what we have to do to prepare pilots has already been done. He needs to be able to synchronize again."

"How?" Tristan stopped and glanced at Madison. She looked puzzled for a moment and then it clicked in. She gave a small chuckle. "Go easy on him, he's not a soldier." Tristan nodded. "Is Asuka having a synch test today?"

"Yes. In about two hours I suppose."

"Do you want to go to Bobby Reich's for lunch?"

"That café is still open?" Madison nodded.

"It's under new management but it seems pretty popular."

"Before Third Impact it was almost impossible to get a seat at the jetty." Tristan reflected. The sombre tone in his voice revealed the gravity of it.

"I'm sorry, I didn't-"

"There's nothing to apologize for. It's just old memories."

"Do you still want to go?"

"Sorry, I can't. I still need to make a report and wrap up Shinji test scores and prepare for Asuka's."

"Oh…" Madison sounded disappointed. "Alright, maybe another time. You are still having lunch though, right?"

"I don't think so, it's probably going to take all the time between tests to get it done."

"Okay. I guess I'll see you later?"

"I suppose." Madison disappeared down a side corridor and Tristan continued on his way towards the elevators to go up to his office.

The chime sounded and the door opened. Tristan blinked in surprised to see Asuka standing in the middle of the elevator. The shock quickly subsiding, Tristan stepped in as Asuka stepped to one side and leaned against the wall. The closed and the elevator descended.

"You're here early." Tristan stated, turning from the door and looking out the window at the walls surrounding the tower. Asuka simply shrugged.

"I had nothing better to do."

"And so you're going down to the cage in order to see your new Evangelion?"

"I still have to get used to the fact that it isn't my Unit-02 anymore."

"It never was." Asuka gave a snort of irritation.

"It was just a slip of the tongue, you don't need to be such a wise ass in correcting me."

"I mean it was never your Evangelion to begin with- Unit-02, I mean."

"What? You're saying that it was yours, that I cheated you out of it? Again you are always making it sound like I used foul means to get to become the Second Child, well I'll tell you, Tristan. I am not!"

"I never said anything about you cheating me, you said it yourself. I meant that it is still the property of NERV, no matter who pilots it. You may want to be more careful about what you say, your childish tantrums could cause you trouble in the future." Asuka stood up and balled her fists.

"I'm the child? Here I am talking to someone who thinks that he is some kind of veteran commando, when he has never even seen an Angel up close let alone fight one. And he still can't get over the fact that I had beaten in him in a fair contest that…" The outburst ran out of steam as Asuka again made the assumption that Tristan was still bitter. She could see the muscles around his mouth tighten as he gave a small smile. She was digging herself into a corner.

With a huff, Asuka leaned back against the wall again and crossed her arms. The floor levels ticked away as the car dropped lower and lower into the facility. Every few seconds, Asuka's eyes drifted from the opposite wall to the back of Tristan's head, lingering a few moments before returning to the place it was focusing on before.

"Hey." Tristan responded with a grunt. "Why are you going down to the cages. Shouldn't you be going up to the office like you always do." Tristan was silent for a moment, which was too long for Asuka's patience. "Hey, I asked you a question."

"I… Hit the wrong button." Tristan admitted sheepishly. Asuka began snickering and then it developed into a small laugh. It was a sensation that Asuka hadn't felt for a while.

"Check and mate, Tristan. It seems as though you are still the dumb ass I met all those years ago." As if on cue the elevator finally came to a halt on the floor of the cages. Asuka stepped out. "See you in a little while, dork." She said, looking over her shoulder. Tristan turned to watch the redhead walk down the hall before the elevator doors shut themselves.

Asuka was always a bit of an aggressive person, and often those who endeared to her were people she simply called a particular name by. Tristan's had always been dork. Considering the actual definition of what it was, it made sense for her to call him that, especially if his accusations were unfounded. It had been more that a year since she last call him that, a symbol of their former friendship. Was she actually trying to rebuild the relationship. It was likely, but it didn't seem like what Asuka would do. She didn't like going with the flow.

Tristan keyed the floor of his office and took the long ride up.

* * *

Perhaps if Asuka actually saw what her Evangelion looked like, she would likely have not offered her services in the first place. The fact that her plug suit was green wasn't the problem, but it was the entire design of the machine. God it was ugly. After going to the cages, Asuka was ready to just skip out on her test in realizing that she would be piloting Unit-05.

Even though it was announced that Unit-02 would be the official production model, it seemed the rest of the world went with a completely different model based closer to Unit-01. Now it seemed as though the influence had finally reached Europe. Beyond the head, and the alterations to the armour, Asuka could swear the same design as Unit-01 was breathed into the creation. The head itself was same, tall, long shape as Unit-02, but it's four eyes were placed behind the golden protective plating of Shinji's Evangelion and was topped off with a smaller, curving horn. The thing looked monstrous compared to Unit-02, and the bulkier armour didn't help the aesthetics either. Ugly and cumbersome, all it needed was to lose a couple million brain cells and Asuka could say that it suited Touji Suzahara exactly.

Immediately thinking of the boy caused Asuka to shudder. At the time when they first met, she thought he was the biggest creep among the Three Stooges, only outdone by Shinji because she had to live with that monster. After she discovered what he had done, Shinji had managed to transform Asuka's image of the fourth child into a loud, rambunctious kid.

"Focus!" The captain barked.

"Alright! Alright, already! You don't have to yell! It still takes a minute to get used to it after so long." Asuka shot back, looking up in the general direction that the lens would be for the main monitor's feed.

"This coming from the great Langley Sohryu, huh? It sounds like you are already holding yourself back."

"What did you say?" Asuka snarled. Around Tristan in the box, the technicians were looking at him warily. The scientist at the main terminal studied the fluctuations in the synch ration as soon as the argument began. She scratched her cheek.

"It sounds like you want me to take pity on you for what you've gone through in the past year. Suck it up princess, you're a soldier, not a stay-at-home mother!" Asuka winced, the words hitting her hard. She knew Tristan really didn't know the truth about the rape, but it still felt like he was intentionally trying to hurt her. It was obvious he was trying to get her angry enough to work, but it just made her feel more withdrawn.

Asuka, despite the length she had been carrying her child, was still showing no physical signs, beyond her morning sickness, and dodged every doctors exam she could to avoid someone else finding out. Sitting here now in the entry plug, Asuka assumed that her child would be causing thought noise in the plug. The fact that it didn't could either mean the child hadn't developed to a point where they were processing real thought, or that her child was still- Asuka forced that idea out of her head.

"Focus!"

"I am! Shut up and let me concentrate, damn it!" Asuka closed her eyes and lowered her head, trying to place herself in the zone. She felt her mind reach out to every corner of the simulated body. Wrapping her essence into the framework and the tendons that caused the machine to move. To give them the life and the soul that they craved, to grant the spark to the god-like Evangelions.

Something flickered in the corner of her mind, a long dormant memory that was now crying to be freed from it's bonds. Another memory she hadn't come to terms with, the floodgate behind which was the ocean of her past life. The pressure in mental dam had begun to ebb three months ago, and in this entry plug she could feel the strain. But what would Tristan say if she called off the test because she was afraid of her past. He would more likely add it to his 'evidence' against her innocence.  
Asuka shoved thoughts of Tristan and the memory into the closet of her mind, trying to cram it in with so many other skeletons so that she could focus on the simulation body. However, the flickering thought only intensified, a persistent little bug. Asuka did her best to ignore it, but it only continued to grow, to become more vibrant, until it seemed to take root into her subconscious. Then, with a shrill cry, it took hold.

* * *

"Not again." Asuka murmured disdainfully as the little girl cried beneath the grey October sky. The playground was an ugly place, all mud and iron, something that seemed more appropriate to the battlefields depictions of World War II. The girl wailed like a baby in the lonely place. No one was around and so it seemed okay to let it out when no one was there. Asuka hated to herself in this state of weakness, when the world seemed to have gone and died around her. Her mother was in a mental ward, her father and stepmother were always bickering and from the sound of it, she was going to leave Asuka and her father too.

She was lonely. She was away from her home, now placed in a big city where everyone was more worried about themselves and how they were going live out an existence after Second Impact. She had no friends, no one who would actually be with her. All she had was her stepmother's damn stuffed monkey, and it provided no comfort, there was no affection behind it. It was more of a peace offering, a way in which her stepmother could bribe her way into being accepted by Asuka. There was no love within that grotesque creature, only the substance that a pillow or a cushion had. But it was something she could actually have to cling to. Something that gave some sort of comfort wherever she went. Plus no one who give her strange looks if she seemed to take 'comfort'- No, it wasn't comfort or companionship she felt, it just filled physical space, a way of trying to fill up the void of where her parents should have been.

Asuka's real mother and father ought to be with her, not out bickering with their second wife or working themselves to the point of insanity. But still, that is how it was, Asuka wasn't important to them. They wanted to ignore her, to avoid her. They didn't like her. She was an inconvenience to them. She wasn't wanted, neither by her mother or her father. She had no value. This was before she found EVA, when everything was lost.

"_Sei ruhig,du Baby!" _Little Asuka immediately stopped and looked around for who ever had ordered to be silent. In sneakers, slacks, and a shirt stood a small, tough-looking kid with a textbook. The boy glared at Little Asuka, seemingly having no patience for her bawling. Sniffling Little Asuka glared right back at him.

Little Asuka protested to being called a baby, which the young boy simply countered with attributes that a baby had. Clinging to a stuffed animal and always crying. This just flustered the young redhead and the two continued to argue back and forth, neither of them wanting to lose face before whatever invisible audience they conjured.

"This was when I first met Tristan." Asuka murmured to herself. "I was easily older than him, but not by much. He was so studious and serious, but none of the boys ever tried to cause trouble for him. He was a scrapper too, something like a pit bull. He never would let go of anything he put himself into."

Meanwhile, the argument between the two children continued until Asuka, having run out of directions with which to attack the boy simply looked away with a snobby sound. The young Tristan gave a chuckle and introduced himself. Asuka immediately told him off before sticking her tongue out at him and walking away. But then she stopped and told him her name. Asuka didn't like how sickenly cute she was back then, even with all the troubles she had, she still seemed like a normal little girl. No one could understand how she felt inside, how the break up of her family was tearing her apart, or how the loneliness rotted out her insides. No one understood her.

"Tristan was the first friend I ever had. Too bad I didn't know how selfish he was on the inside, how much he wanted the recognition of being called an EVA pilot. That he would think it was my fault that he failed to prove himself."

"But isn't that the truth." Asuka's heart skipped a beat as the familiar voice whispered into her ear. She whirled around to face the intruder in her mind and found nothing. The voice, without a visible entity behind it continued. "You'd do anything to be recognized by others. To be praised. To feel loved. You're no better than Misato."

"No! I am not Misato! She was a disgrace as a guardian and commander, she didn't even deserve my respect."

"And yet you try to emulate her. You wear her clothes, the jacket you found in the ocean."

"That's different. A memento, an artefact of her life."

"Thus meaning her life was something to be remembered. And yet you deny she means anything to you. You crave the same kind of reputation, to get what you can from others."

"I was a convenient stepping stone, wasn't I, you stone-cold bitch." Tristan's words dripped venom as he stepped out of the shadows.

"No! I earned the right to be an EVA pilot! I deserved it!"

"Oh please," Tristan scoffed. "when the chips were down, you couldn't compete. You are not an pilot, you're a charlatan!"

"No! I am an Evangelion pilot!" Asuka cried. Tristan gave a malicious toothy grin. The colour of his skin faded as his lips became blood red and his features melded simply into a grotesque mouth at the end of a thick neck. His body began to harden into a carapace until he became a human-sized version of a production model Evangelion. The very foe that was able to defeat Asuka.

The monster idled for nary a moment, gauging up it's opponent, before charging forward. Feeling a burning need for vengeance welling up inside her, Asuka roared at charged at the monstrosity leaving the muddy playground for the exposed geo front and the one Evangelion that slipped past her grasp. Never again would she grant quarter. Never again will she fight for sport. She would be the merciless animal that dwelled within her and her weapon.

* * *

"Cut power to the simulation body!" Tristan ordered. The technicians were in a frenzy, collecting data, and diagnosing the source of the error. The reason for the simulation body's wild convulsions and the silence of the entry plug. Tristan glanced back down at the synchronization monitor to see Asuka's synapses explode apart as her control of the EVA was lost and the machine took on a mind of it's own.

"Done." A technician reported. Beyond the glass and the main monitor, in the briny blue fluid, the thrashing of the simulation body stopped with only a couple of twitches as the last neural command finished it's route to the muscles.

"Disconnect the plug from the body. What is the status of the Second Child?"

"Disconnection complete."

"Unknown. Plug is-" The technician paused. "Bio readout has returned normal. Status is at full and running normal. Pilot is regaining consciousness." Immediately the technician opened the channel to the plug. They heard a small groan followed by a grunt of surprise. No doubt the pilot hadn't anticipated the disconnections when she went out.

"What the Hell happened?"

"Feedback error from the simulation body." Tristan lied. "Tower Four's equipment is still outdated and so there can be times when a test could cause negative feedback." Asuka considered this and glared forward.

"That damn well better not happen when I'm actually piloting."

"It won't. This will only cause delays in the test, nothing more. Considering the fact that we have this problem, the lab will have to go under maintenance. The tests is over at this point. Take a shower and get some rest, but I want to speak with you in my office at…" He paused, he was about to say seventeen hundred, but that would mean she would come at the same time Shinji would. That wouldn't be wise. "At eighteen hundred hours." Asuka looked puzzled on the video feed, as if she noticed the hesitation.

"Alright. I suppose I can sit around for an hour." Tristan nodded to himself and glanced around at the technicians. A few were giving him more strange looks, a few more were irritated, namely that his lie would mean needless maintenance on the simulation body, but it was important for Tristan to keep the information on what just occurred from either pilot. He didn't know why, but he felt that information was something to be carefully considered. Tristan leaned over and turned off the transmission to the entry plug.

"I want both pilot's synch ratios spreadsheet, psychograph readings, plus a timeline of the events that occurred sent to my office immediately. It's time to call it a day." Tristan once again left the box and back into the corridor.

Madison was not there to greet him as she had did earlier in the day. Tristan felt a little disappointed in her absence, but then he had turned her down in spending time together. She was rather clingy and it sometimes got on his nerves, but Tristan was aware that the girl from New Zealander had no one else to relate to. Even though she was fluent in German, she had a difficult time in making friends with others, seeming to be a little too outgoing for most of her peers.

The problem was, Tristan pondered as he entered the elevator, was that Tristan was far too busy managing the new pilots of the NEC to hold the girl's hand at this time. Further, the rapid development of identity between UNIT and NEC was causing tension among the members of E-NERV. The Evangelions were a limited resource and UNIT would not understand that with her neighbour harbouring two more pilots, the NEC was at greater risk of an Angel attack. But then, UNIT never received the final transmission from Tokyo-3 and they clung to much upon old ways of thinking. North America was once the economic heart of the world, now it was simply a land of barbarians.

Tristan opened the door to his office. He had already been in the commander and sub-commander's suites, and despite his prestigious position in Tower Four, his workplace lacked the grandeur that his superiors possessed. A desk, laptop, chair, a cabinet, and two chairs for visitors. It looked like something a bank manager would have, not the tactician to the defenders of the Earth. Tristan sat down on his chair and scanned the desktop. Two used and empty coffee mugs, a pen or three, and several small stacks of paper and manual that migrated down to the empty space to one side of his desk, which he conveniently camouflaged with a fake, potted plant.

The papers themselves were the sort that always moved about a bureaucracy. Something that had to be read and signed, but would never be picked up for the rest of civilization's existence. A waste of paper made by the Executive Council. A senate without a nation, that cluster of old men just wanted to blow smoke in the face of E-NERV and the other organizations that were run by the MAGI because they couldn't start a smear campaign against a collection of supercomputers with no thoughts nor feelings. They just wanted to seem useful without doing any meaningful work for the NEC.

"Pitiful rats." Tristan grumbled to himself as he moved the reams of paper off of his desk and into the ever growing pile before pulling out a notepad and booting up the computer. He immediately called up the information he requested from the synch tests and scanning over it, began to take brief notes in cursive. Despite the fact that it was formulated in the heat of the moment, Tristan needed to formalize his plans before offering them to his 'troops'. After several more minutes, Tristan closed down the documents and scanned over his notes, making quick changes in the wording as it would require equal consideration on account of both pilots in order to get them to agree to his terms.

The job was soon completed and Tristan placed the page of writings down onto the desk and rubbed his drying eyes. He glanced at his watch. Quarter after five. Shinji was already late. Tristan considered lecturing the pilot when he finally showed or perhaps at home. But with what was going on, he was probably taking measures in order to avoid Asuka, considering that they both new their synch tests were going to occur on the same day.

The door finally opened and Tristan looked up with a smug expression on his face.

"Ah, M-" Tristan's voice caught in his throat as he just saw his planning hit the first bend, and was ready to careen off the cliff face.

"_Hallo, Tristan._" Asuka chirped in a cheery voice, stepping inside.

"What are you doing here, Asuka?" The girl shrugged.

"Well I really don't plan on sitting around this damn place for an hour. Besides, I am sure you can finish your report after you've spoken to me."

"That's not-" Something clicked in Tristan and he immediately grabbed the phone. He barely got the receiver to his ear by the time the door opened again and Shinji stepped it. The air seemed to become the viscosity of oil and time ran like molasses, all the characters in this comedy of errors remaining stark still, each with a different form of shock forming on their face. The stillness remained for several minutes, no one spoke. No one spoke. If a technician the cages dropped a wrench, the sound would probably reverberate all the way up to the offices. The silence was deafening.

Tristan made the first move, and hung up the phone and folded his hands and sighed.

"Both of you, please sit down." Shinji and Asuka didn't move, their eyes locked as if gauging each other. However, the will to fight could only be seen in Asuka's body language. Shinji's face read fear. He was aware he was in danger and unless Tristan kept calm, he would probably bolt. "I told you to sit down." Tristan repeated in an insistent yet even tone.

Asuka turned away from Shinji with agonizing slowness and came to rest in one of the seats before the desk, shuffling to one side to keep her distance from the other vacant seat. Tristan turned his gaze to the boy who hesitated several seconds before closing the door and sitting down. Tristan scanned the faces of his pilots and found them, both watching him.

"I didn't intend you two to run into each other this early."

"He is not going to be a pilot, is he?" Asuka asked, not evening glancing at Shinji.

"That's why you're here. I looked at both of your synch ratios." Both pilots leaned in. "They are dismal at best." Asuka's face pinched into a frown and Shinji gave a long sigh. The boy looked away, already believing that he was out of the running. "But I believe both of you can still save yourselves."

"How?" Asuka asked. Shinji watched by said nothing.

"Shinji is undisciplined. Before he could easily synchronize but without practice, he has fallen out of his zone." Tristan looked to Shinji. "You will be going through strict physical and mental preparation. A concentrated version of the training Asuka and I went through to become eligible to become Evangelion pilots. You will have to work hard and follow my instructions exactly, understood?" Shinji nodded, seeming to have become a mute.

"There is no way that creep can complete the training. It was enough of a fluke that he was able to synchronize with an Evangelion at all, let alone go through the training. This coward won't last ten minutes under any military training."

"I have-"

"No! I won't stand for it!" Asuka cried, standing up.

"Sit down Asuka."

"I am not going to allow myself to be walked over by the commanders. I am not going to be placed in the same work environment as a rapist!" Shinji sprang up from his seat.

"That's a lie!" He cried.

"Both of you sit down." Tristan ordered evenly again. In the back of his mind, Tristan was steeling himself for when the two pilot would trade blows. If anything, he wanted to push the button to call security before even a fist was made, but he knew even his reflexes would not be quick enough. He needed to defuse the situation. But how?

"That's exactly what you would say, wouldn't you! That your victim is lying to get attention. You're just afraid of the consequences of your actions you monster!"

"It wasn't me!"

"Like Hell it wasn't! But go on, tell me who really raped me! Who was it? And why didn't you try and help me! 'The Invincible Shinji.' What a joke! You couldn't even help protect one damn girl! Probably because you were too guilty to allow her to live. You wanted me to die out there. I bet your were giggling like a baby when you heard me being eviscerated, you sick pig!"

"Shut up! It isn't like that!"

"Both of you sit down, now." Tristan said, raising his voice.

"Then what is it you goddamn liar?"

"I didn't don't do it. I don't know who did, please-"

"That's garbage."

"_Stopp das rumjaulen,du Göre!"_ Tristan bellowed as he thrust himself out of his chair and leaned against the desk with his arms. Asuka turned slowly, remembering the same demand when she was a child and they first met. He still thought she was a brat? The nerve!

"Well, if you haven't gotten the news yet," Asuka pointed a finger at Shinji while glaring at the captain. "this son of a bitch raped me!"

"That's irrelevant!" Tristan snapped back. All present were surprised by the statement and the clarity at which Tristan spoke those words. "At this time I am scrambling to find something I could care less about. Mostly because the largest thing on my mind is ensuring that the NEC has people who can actually pilot those ugly dolls down in the cages." Asuka glared at Shinji.

"Why don't you send 'it' to UNIT to deal with."

"Are you an idiot, Sohryu? UNIT only has one Evangelion and we already went over the attack patterns of the Angels." Tristan sat back down and folded his hands. "Besides, the culture shock would be too great."

"'Culture shock'? _Gott im Heimell, _Tristan! This kid has been thought Hell and back and you're giving a damn about culture shock. You're babying that bastard!"

"Funny,I only hear one spoiled brat." Asuka gave a snort.

"Then why don't you send me to UNIT to fight, I know enough English."

"They are unfit to fight any offensive force at this time. Sending you will attract Angels and then we would have a massacre."

"Then make a transfer. Anything so that I can get away from him!" As the argument continued Shinji sat down and looked at his lap as his peer and commanding officer bickered between themselves.

"They will refuse. They don't trust us."

"What? Why?"

"They are taking on a 'turtle strategy' and are rather paranoid. Further, the placement of their current running MAGI causes there to be too much space to be considered. Therefore, the nation is run by the emotions and greed of people rather than the logic of machine." Shinji looked up at this statement. It sounded as though Tristan really valued a society where machines were in control. Plus the coldness in which he regarded people made him see almost mechanical as well.

"But…"

"That's enough. Regardless of your personal wants, Ms. Sohryu, the NEC is the only nation with the means and capability to draw in and eliminate the Angel threat."

"We haven't even found reports that the Angels are still around."

"I am not going to simply stand idle when the possibility of the Angel's return is uncertain."

"You're doing this for yourself, aren't you?" Asuka accused.

"I do it for the love of my country. But you probably wouldn't understand that." He looked away. "Now then, the two of you will be placed in similar training programs with regards to acquiring the skills to be EVA pilots."

"You mean to tell me that I'm going to have to go through training again? That's ridiculous."

"I said similar. Things will be different between the two of your because we need to cultivate different attributes in the two of your in order to allow you to effectively synchronize with your Evangelions."

"When do we start?" Shinji asked, breaking the silence from his section of the room.

"Tomorrow." The captain answered promptly.

"Is that all you wanted to share with us?" Asuka asked sharply.

"There is one more thing. I suggest that both of your kiss your personal vendettas goodbye at the door when you leave. The NEC needs pilots and not a bunch of scrapping children, especially ones who's relationship could lead to homicide. Any act that would harm the other pilot with be considered an act of treason. Actions will be taken thus."

"I hate this." Asuka grumbled.

"Like it or not, you are now a part of NERV once again and your job is to destroy the Angels until one side is destroyed. You are now dismissed." Asuka was more than happy to have Tristan out of her sight. Shinji waited for the angry girl to leave. He then looked to Tristan, who watched him thoughtfully. "You wanted to ask something?" Shinji shook his head. "Speak up! I know you're not a mute."

"Well it's, uh…" Shinji pondered as to what to say next. "When you told Asuka you didn't care about the fact that she had been raped, your reaction was awfully cold."

"Asuka told me that story earlier that you were trying to rape her. I didn't believe it for a second. I really think it's a ploy to get attention. It's really quite sad actually."

"I don't think it was a lie. When a doctor ran a check up on her, she realized she had been raped."

"How long ago was that?"

"More than a month."

"And the presumed rape occurred before Third Impact, am I right?" Shinji nodded and Tristan leaned back to contemplate the matter. "It makes sense I suppose. I suppose we might as well get a second opinion from another doctor."

"N-no. I don't think that's necessary. The doctor was a friend of Asuka's so, she might have just been after an excuse to get rid of me or something."

"Doesn't sound unlike her. Well, that settles that. Anything else you have to say."

"No. I'll see you at home then."

"Maybe later tonight. I've got to finish Asuka's report. Order something in if you get hungry." Shinji nodded and left.  
Out in the hall, Shinji leaned against a wall and touched his forehead as a mess of concerns struck him. Tristan didn't know about the pregnancy. And Shinji had just continued to cover it up. What if that cause complications later when Asuka was piloting. For one thing it wasn't his child so he shouldn't worry, but Asuka was also his friend. Was it right for him to just cause a greater risk for her. Shinji's head hurt. Things were getting complicated.

Author's Notes  
Been awhile since I put in another chapter. I apologize for the wait. Steve has gotten the translations in, I appreciate the suggestion by "bsdisaster", understand however, I am using a crummy electronic translator that doesn't get the same grammar rules. This is the fifth time I've tried writing the words in German, unfortunately, IE seems to hate complicated fonts.


	11. Getting Older

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 11: Getting Older  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

"Hit me." Tristan ordered.

"What?"

"Hit me." Tristan repeated. The boy looked at his commanding officer as if he had lost him mind.

"Why would I want to do that?" Tristan put his hands on his hips and made a growl of frustration.

"My God, are you really that dense? We are talking about your training. I want to see you hit me so I know where to begin  
teaching you."

"I still don't understand."

"From what I know about Japan, it's common for the children there to have at least some kind of martial arts training. Not to be prepared for war, but for the sake of discipline and work ethic. You should have at least gotten something out of it than just peace of mind." Shinji looked down at his bare feet on the sparring mat. He couldn't even recall how many years it had been since he had a martial arts lesson."

"I… Uh-" The boy murmured.

"Maybe I'm getting ahead of myself. What discipline were you trained in?"

"Um… Tai chi… A long time ago."

"Well it's like riding a bike, so you should be able to do something, even if you were only an amateur."

"No. I never learned how to use it to fight, just as…" Shinji struggled to find the right word. "Meditation?" Tristan shook his  
head in disgust.

"Stop with the excuses. Even if you don't know how, it should be too difficult to throw a punch."

"But, I-"

"I'm not going to hit you back. So stop whining and just do it." Shinji hesitated. Which was just too long for Tristan. With a snort he turned to the redhead, who, to the Captain's amazement had held her tongue. She looked sternly at his instructor.

"Well then? Don't tell me you have no guts either?"

"I have more balls than the two of you combined." Asuka remarked.

"Which explains why you're such an ugly woman." Tristan retorted. Asuka's face contorted in a sneer and she threw a punch. As quick as lightning, Tristan stepped to the side, grabbed her wrist and shirt and threw her to the ground before immediately stepping back. Tristan placed his hands on his hips in the standard fashion showing how unimpressed he was.

"My God, only one year and you have forgetting everything you've been taught. What would the instructors be saying now that you couldn't even hit an idiot like me?" Asuka just glared at him. Tristan then turned to Shinji. "See? There's little chance that you're going to hit me, I just want to see what you know from your previous training." Shinji was still hesitant and slowly placed himself in a tai chi stance, though he wasn't quite sure what he was doing.

The moment Shinji threw his fist at his opponent, the Captain had locked his arm and hooked his leg, gravity did the rest of the work and Shinji hit the mat with a yelp.

"You're both absolutely pathetic!" Tristan cried. He pointed to Asuka. "You've forgotten all of your techniques." His finger switched to Shinji. "And you're too slow and are afraid of hurting people. This is a brave new world we live in, ladies and gentlemen. The universe is not going to be merciful all of the time so you're going to have to get stronger not only for basic survival, but also for piloting your Evangelions."

"Well why don't you tell us why we're here in the gym getting insulted by you rather than being in our entry plugs?"

"Because your training begins outside of the plug and ends inside it."

"What the Hell does that mean? I've spent a year in Japan and I am sick of all this Buddha, Zen, whatever! What is this all  
about, you jerk!" Without responding, Tristan looked back at Shinji.

"It took Asuka and I several years in order to develop the skills necessary to synchronize with the Evangelions. Unlike you we didn't have the natural proficiency you had with Unit-01. However, it is now apparent that your talent was limited only to piloting that one particular unit, I don't know why but that isn't the point right now. If you're going to become a pilot again you will have to go through the same training that we had to go through. But we will be condensing it into, at most, a couple of weeks. It will be hard, but you already know half of what you need to know." Shinji sat up and slowly nodded.

"And what do you need to fix about me?" The German girl asked while getting up. Tristan didn't even turn to her.

"You haven't been training as you should have been and your capability to synchronize has become lax. You are going to take the same program that Shinji is on, but I think that may change depending on what the researchers come up with."

"'The researchers'? What do you mean?"

"Never mind. Today we're going to start with some basic exercise routines and fighting lessons. Physical abilities you acquire will affect your performance as a pilot. A pilot who is capable of fighting in hand-to-hand can do roughly the same in the entry plug. Provided the synchronization ratio is high enough."

"Sparring won't get us to synchronize any faster." Asuka grumbled.

"But it will put you in a state of mind in order to do so." Tristan stepped over to a table and picked of a pair of heavy padded mitts and put them on. "We're going to start with something very simple to get your blood pumping. We'll start with basic boxing."

"This isn't going to work."

"I'm amazed that you even became a pilot with that crappy attitude. Whatever happened to the 'Wildfire'?" Asuka looked at him and frowned, not that she didn't know who he was talking about, but that he would actually being up that name.

"This is a waste of time, I know that I'm not going to get anywhere with your training." Tristan sighed and pulled off the mitts. He dug a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Asuka.

"What's this?"

"My synch ratio and yours. The difference is only by one week." Asuka blinked and unfolded the paper and quickly scanned the graphs and data. "Coincidentally, Sub-Commander Septerra and I decided to get a synch test in order to ensure that I was still capable of piloting an EVA should we lack any pilots. There is a second set of pursuits for Unit-05 designed for me." Asuka's hands were trembling, out of fear or anger, Shinji couldn't tell.

"Is this a threat?"

"No, this is a reminder that you're replaceable at this stage of the game. You can't seem to focus on synchronizing anymore so we are going to have to start from scratch and found another route if it pops up."

"And if it doesn't?"

"Then you'll never know what it is like to pilot an Evangelion again." Asuka folded the paper and handed it back to Tristan.

"Alright, I'll do it. But if you're going to be my trainer, I will never forgive you if you fail in getting this right." Tristan shrugged.

"Let's get started then." The captain put the mitts back on. "I'll use this mitts to see how hard you're hitting with your punches. Right arm to jab, left arm to strike. Got that, Shinji?" Shinji jumped to his feet and nodded. "Alright, you're first. Give me your best."

* * *

"Catch." The bottle of water practically leapt into Asuka's arms. She hastily unscrewed the cap and after several long gulps took a gasp of breath before returning a slower yet still laboured series of pants. "Hurry it up, Ikari!" The Captain barked to the straggler. Shinji looked up the incline and with a sigh, pushed the rest of the way up the hill. At the top of the hill, Shinji bent over, panting and wiping the sweat off of his brow. Tristan handed him his water bottle.

"Damn it, Tristan. Are you going to run us into the ground like this everyday?"

"I admit that it may have been harsh for Shinji, but I though, you Asuka, could have done it without even breaking a sweat. You really got out of shape while in Japan."

"Are you calling me fat?" The redhead growled, taking another sip of water.

"Shinji?"

"What… What?" Shinji stammered, still trying to catch his breath.

"Back in Tokyo-3, who cooked?"

"Huh? Well… Um… Major Katsuragi used to cook but I guess I eventually took over."

"And how many times did this prissy bitch complain about Japanese cuisine?" Asuka couldn't decide whether or not to glare daggers at Tristan for his remark, or watch Shinji and ensure he understood the gravity that this question now had.

"Every meal, I guess… For a couple of months anyway."

"And if not in a plug suit, sleeping, eating, or at school, where could she usually be found."

"Watching television, reading fashion magazines, and eating potato chips." Asuka was ready to tear the boy's throat out at that very moment when she heard Tristan laugh triumphantly.

"Check and mate, Asuka. Looks like you haven't been keeping fit at all."

"Screw you, Tristan. I've been working hard just to keep up with schoolwork and fighting Evangelions." Tristan folded his arms.

"That sounds like a really crummy excuse." Asuka gave a low growl and looked away with a snort. Tristan just gave a brief laugh. "There are some benches up ahead, so you can park your asses and take a break."

"Are we finished for the day?" Shinji asked. Tristan looked skyward at the late morning sun and shrugged.

"I suppose. I'm only going to work you into the ground during the mornings, synch tests in the evening… It's a way of making a routine."

"But when are we going to have time to actually have a life?" Asuka complained. Tristan rolled his eyes.

"You whine too much. As if you actually have a social life to begin with. Neither of you know anyone in this city I'd assume." Shinji nodded, already agreeing with his commander's argument.

"Well then, you think it would be logical for our supervisor to consider the personal feelings of his followers."

"I am not your supervisor and this isn't so much your job. I am your commanding officer and this is your duty to humanity. Why do you think you're never paid to do this? NERV is providing you with everything, and yet you only want more. How disgusting." Asuka remained silent and watched the captain turn away. "Shinji, you coming?" Shinji nodded and followed Tristan up to the rest stop at the top of the hill. Asuka simply stood where she was.

When the two were out of sight, Asuka heaved a sigh and looked down the hill, which the three of them had charged up. Tristan had no problem in getting up the slope, having spent all of his free time getting buff and healthy. Asuka and that bastard on the other hand, had to spend most of their time and energy simply trying in stay alive in the hostile environment outside the NEC. The majority of Eastern Europe and Asia was now a no man's land and here was this oasis of civilization with the dream of a utopian world, provided that the Angels could be defeated.

Asuka began to wonder how her child was holding up, even though she was still at the end of her third trimester, she knew that this was the critical stage for development and she didn't want to cause complications in this child that she could have prevented. She laughed to herself, look at her, at her age she should only be caring for herself and no one else, but here she was, considering the fate of a child that she never wanted in the first place. Asuka had always heard the horror stories about teen mothers, those who made the stupid decision to throw their life away for some little boy just because they threatened to dump them. How pathetic.

Here she was, however, carrying Shinji's child, the father being a little boy himself. Asuka at once felt helpless, angry, and a little of something that she wasn't sure what to name it. Asuka was a statistic, and was no longer the exception to the rule, the prodigy or what have you. She was less than Shinji as a pilot, less of a perfect fighter like Tristan, but damned if she wasn't going to be the best mother.

Asuka mentally slapped herself. What an idiot she was. The NEC was barely providing her most basic needs, if she wanted the child or not, the NEC would likely take the child into custody. Considering how valuable they were to the future of the human race, they couldn't even be spared to be in the incapable hands of a new mother. The German girl remembered reading a headline in a paper she had picked up some days ago, when she felt too cooped up in her apartment and decided it was high time she took a walk and saw whether or not the city she hated so much had changed during her absence, when she was busy fighting Heaven, and drifting slowly into Hell.

The headline Asuka read was covering a case in which numerous people were protesting against the new created by the NEC for 'experienced' parents to take care of a child even if they are not their own. This would likely be the same fate that Asuka's child would be faced with. The fact that Asuka was a pilot wouldn't help should she resist. Another reason not to get attached, the most difficult thing to do.

"Sohryu! Move your ass!" Tristan barked. Asuka turned away from the view and followed Tristan up to the very top of the hill.

"What is it?"

"I suggest you take your break now since I won't care if you decide not to sit down." Asuka rolled her eyes and passed him.

"Whatever." Tristan didn't respond but followed her to the rest stop. Shinji was already their, nursing a bottle of water. Asuka sat down across from him, however, considering the fact that the boy was avoiding eye contact, Asuka decided not to waste any more energy simply glowering at him. She opened her bottle and started drinking.

The three of them remained in abject silence for several minutes. Tristan stared off into space, lost in though, Asuka leered at Shinji, and Shinji simply tried to avoid eye contact. The situation persisted until Tristan's digital watch was brave enough to start beeping, sounding off in a fashion just irritating enough to set things to the break point.

"Break's over. Finish your bottles and let's get going." Tristan announced. Shinji obediently downed that last of his water before handing the empty bottle to the captain.

"But we barely even got the chance to sit down." Asuka whined.

"I gave you ten minutes to rest. I could have gone farther, but I decided that this might shut you up. Guess I learned not to make that mistake again." Asuka stood up and glared at Tristan.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Give an inch, take a mile? Offer a hand and they'll take an arm and a leg? Do you follow me?" Asuka put her hands on her hips.

"Humour me."

"Quit your bitching and get you lazy ass down this hill."

"Lazy! We'll see how lazy you are when I put you in traction."

"Then who, pray tell, will take you two out for lunch?" Asuka stopped and both she and Shinji looked at their commander quizzically.

"And what do you mean by that?"

"Well at first I was going to treat you both as a reward for getting this far without complaining, but I think you, Asuka, have done enough complaining for the three of us."

"You mean you're not-"

"Nope!"

"Probably because you can't afford it, right?"

"No, I mean what I say. But I'll tell you what. I plan and walking my way down the hill using the path we charged up. There's a second trail on the other side of the hill. It's a little overgrown and was only used by those who wanted to actually challenge themselves when they crawled up the bluff. If either of you make it down before me, then I will be more than willing to pay for anything on the menu when we go down to the pier." Upon mentioning the pier, Tristan could Asuka's saliva glands working over time.

"You're serious?"

"Yes."

"Then I suppose when I get down there the food will be ready, snail boy." Asuka started for the other side of the bluff, found the steep incline and started working her way down. A self-satisfied grin. He looked towards Shinji.

"I shouldn't expect you to follow her, should I?" Shinji shook his head.

"Besides, I'm really not the competitive type." Tristan shrugged.

"Of course you're not." The captain turned and started walking down the gradually descending path. He stopped and turned.

"Coming?" Like a faithful dog, Shinji came to Tristan's side and followed, looking off towards where the other trail would likely be.

"Is she going to be alright?"

"There isn't anything that could kill 'Wildfire' out there, so long as she isn't stupid enough to try and cut through the brush, then she'll probably be eating a lot of dirt from all the roots coming out of the ground."

"'Wildfire'… You've been referring to her by that name for quite awhile. What is the significance behind it?"

"It's kind of a pet name the two of use were given when we were training to be Evangelion pilots. She was called 'Wildfire' because of her violent, aggressive attitude."

"So what were you called."

"'Winter'."

"'Winter'?"

"Cold, bitter, cruel, and patient."

"You don't really seem that way to me."

"There can be warm days in winter. Or so I've heard." Shinji looked skyward, thoughtfully. "Hey, I've got a question. Is there any particular reason you are always holing yourself in your room back our apartment?"

"Uh… It's nothing."

"You sure? If there's something that's wrong, I'm probably the best person to talk to, I am your commanding officer and it will remain confidential."

"That really doesn't…" Shinji went quiet.

"This is about you and Asuka, isn't it?"

"Yes. I'm a little concerned about how you're treating her."

"Haven't we already gone over this?"

"Yes, well I uh…"

"Just spit it out!"

"There is something more to why you chose to let me stay with you. Other than trying to help me, you are doing this for something personal aren't you?" Tristan stopped and turned to Shinji, a surprised look on his face. The shock quickly faded.

"It's that obvious?"

"Well, no. It took me awhile to notice it, but it has something to do with your, uh, relationship with Asuka." Tristan slowly nodded and looked away.

"I admit it. Half of my good will towards you was aimed only to make Asuka more upset."

"So you were using me to hurt her?" A pained look came across Tristan's face.

"No. That's too strong a word, I don't want to use you like a weapon, or that you are simply a convenient medium to get back at Asuka. But…" Tristan was at a loss for words. Disappointed, Shinji looked down at the dirt trail.

"Why do you hate Asuka so much?"

"Isn't it obvious? She's this egotistical, stuck-up, pushy, arrogant, bitch!"

"Of course. I already know what she's like, but that's just the way she is. Surely you were able to deal with her through your training? I managed to keep my cool when I lived with her for barely a year."

"What? Are you now analysing me? In fact, why are you defending her? For God's sake, she is accusing you of a rape that never happened!"

"Because… Uh…" Shinji looked away and a spasm passed through his right hand, signalling the stress he was feeling. Again, he didn't want to tell Tristan the truth. He wanted Asuka to tell him herself, on her own terms but it looked like it was going to be harder and harder to hide it. "She doesn't deserve to be hated. Although I don't know exactly what she went through, I can… Empathize. She… You… Both of you had spent years training to become Evangelion pilots and then when I showed up and got all of the praise… Just because I synchronized faster with my Evangelion, it took away all that hard work, so I guess I understand why she is so resentful towards me."

"You made her feel cheap. That she had lost her value. That would be the sweetest revenge imaginable. If only…" Tristan laughed.

"It's not something to laugh about!" Shinji growled. His hand became a white ball of flesh and bone. "Every time I piloted the EVA it was like I was stabbing her in the heart. Over and over again… I was killing her… I was the one who killed Asuka! I pushed her over the edge and that was why she went into that coma, why she wandered off into Tokyo-2 on her own. That's why she hates me!" Hot tears streamed down Shinji's cheeks from beneath his dark brown bangs of hair. As first this was surprising for Tristan to see, but then realizing his top pilot was getting soft, the shock and fear transformed into anger.

"No damn it! That bitch just hates everyone. Stop acting as if everything is your own damn fault. I don't give two shits about all this whiny bullshit of yours!" Tristan grabbed Shinji's shoulders and shook him. Memories of the last time Shinji saw Misato flooded his mind as Tristan glared into his eyes. "You are an Evangelion pilot, Ikari, your destiny, your purpose in life is to defend the NEC and UNIT. You are the protector of humanity, Shinji. The hero never cries. The hero NEVER cries!" Shinji stood there, dumbfounded and confused, not knowing what to say. "Never blame yourself for everything. The world has too many lost causes and I'm not going to let you become the martyr for one of those. Asuka is a bitter girl who will grow up to be a bitter woman, and will die the same way. I'm a vindictive asshole and I should be the one to deal with her. You have better things to do with your time. Understand?" Shinji slowly nodded his head. "Good." Tristan released the boy and started walking down the path again.

"T- Tristan?" Shinji stammered, blinking away the last of the tears.

"What!" The captain spun around, his patience almost completely gone.

"Why do you hate Asuka so much?" This question gave Tristan pause and he stood there for several seconds as if pondering. He then took a deep breath and looked directly at Shinji.

"She broke my heart." He turned away again and started down the hill. The atmosphere already told Shinji that the conversation was now over.

* * *

Tristan climbed his way up the steep incline, using the exposed tree roots as steps, grumbling every few paces. Asuka had been gone ten minutes too long, in fact, Tristan expected her to get down first. Considering that she didn't know how to cook, she surely was craving some decent food after having to eat instant crap for so long. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Shinji was always silent and tried to avoid complaining about the cuisine. He always said it was good, but he would only eat two or three bites before stopping. Saying that it was too heavy was probably the truth, considering the Japanese diet was usually fish and rice. At least that would be what an ignoramus like him would fathom.

"Asuka!" Tristan hollered after getting to the top of the incline. He listened, hearing nothing but the wind through the canopy of trees. This path extended into the woods, but the trail was obvious that she couldn't have gotten lost and since wild life had been all but extinct there was little chance that a bear had mauled her. But in retrospect, the bear would have to be very brave to take on that bitch without first getting its head examined.

Tristan called for her again. The return wasn't exactly an answer, but a cry and a loud curse. Tristan followed it up the trail to find Asuka leaning against a tree, gripped her ankle. He immediately knelt down next to her.

"What happened?"

"What does it look like? Itwisted myankle, you jack ass!" She bellowed.

"Take off your shoe and sock."

"What?"

"Do it!" Asuka pulled off her shoe and took a sharp intake of breath. Tristan grabbed hold of her leg and gently moved her ankle.

"What the Hell do you think you're doing?" She cried.

"I'm checking to see if it's a sprain."

"You idiot! I don't need to-" A yelp of pain both answered Tristan's query and shut Asuka up. Tristan immediately pulled off her sock and picking up a stick lying nearby he made a simple splint.

"There." He stood up and offered his hand to Asuka. She slapped it away, using the lean she had been leaning on to get up to a standing position.

"You moron! You probably made it worse!"

"I was trying to help!"

"I don't need your help damn it. It was just a twist."

"The swelling and bruising mean you've sprained it."

"And that is all your fault for trying to help."

"Well if you weren't so damn incompetent, this wouldn't have happened."

"Fuck you!"

"Fuck you, too!" The two glared at each other in silence, trying to stare the other down.

"Why do you always have to be such an asshole?" Asuka grumbled.

"Why do you have to be such a stubborn bitch?"

"I don't have to take this!" Asuka turned away and was about to leave the tree trunk she was leaning against behind, but realizing she could only walk on one foot and looking down the trail, she knew that she wasn't going to go far. Tristan glanced down the path and then back up at Asuka with a smug expression on his face.

"I doubt that you'll be going very far on that foot." Asuka glared at the captain who simply shrugged. "You can say that I broke your ankle as much as you want, it's just going to roll off their backs like your other lie."

"What the Hell are you talking about?"

"Your story that you had been raped." The expression on Asuka's face looked like shock because Tristan knew the truth, but in actuality, it was despair at the realization that it wasn't that her commander didn't care, but that he didn't believe her in the first place."

"But-"

"It was all bullshit to put yourself above Shinji. You never change! I swear you've been using other people in order to get ahead your whole damn life!"

"You still bitch about my becoming the Second Child, aren't you?"

"Damn it, you stupid bitch this has nothing to do with EVA. I didn't care which of us became the pilot of Unit-02! But it seems that you can't even get past that. That's all you care about. That piece of crap that's now sitting at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean. You never cared about anyone but yourself!"

"Just shut up!"

"Why? Because you don't want to hear this? You want to believe it's your victory over me that bothers me because it gives you comfort. Isn't that right? Well it isn't. It was the means that you used to gain your victory that hurt Asuka! But why should I even bother telling you that? You'll just die old and alone when all is said and done." Asuka finally quieted down and paid attention to what Tristan was saying. She frowned, trying to understand what it was that was bothering him. She didn't know the answer and it frustrated her.

"I wish I never came here." Asuka murmured.

"What was that?"

"I wish I never came back to Europe you bastard. I was so stupid to think that there was a reason for me to come back here. I thought it would mean that I would be safe, in a place where I knew the language. But after I found out what happened, and when I realized that you were here, that dream was shot to Hell. I wish that those things, the EVA series, had just killed me and I stayed dead, rather than returning to this, my own personal Hell. My mother did the right thing in killing herself and saving herself the trouble of living this horrible life." Tristan narrowed his eyes, strode over to Asuka and slammed her shoulders into the tree.

"I'm tired of all this self-loathing bullshit you pilots throw around. If I know that this was what my future was, God willing I would have shut you up when I could. But enough of that! You sound just like Shinji and I can barely deal with one whiny little brat under my command, let alone two!

"When you say that you wanted to die on the eve of Third Impact, that not only disrespects yourself, but it also disrespects everyone else who survived. We struggled to get back to this place, to find stability and to try and build a utopia of equality for the future generations. I will not allow someone -even because of my presence- give into despair. Our parents' generation survived Second Impact and as God as my witness we will survive Third Impact." Asuka's face hardened and she showed Tristan away, using the tree for support.

"What the Hell is wrong with you? First you hate me because of something and now you are telling me not to feel bad about it." Tristan stood up straight and took a long breath.

"I guess that's what people do when they still have feelings for someone." Asuka looked at him as though he had just admitted he was insane.

"What?" Tristan shook his head.

"Never mind. Let's just get out here before it gets dark. I'll carry you on my back." He turned and bent forward, offering to take her pick-a-pack style.

"You're really fucked up, you know that?" She climbed up. "And don't get any ideas of having your hands wander."

"Like I would be interested in doing that." He murmured. The two made there way down the path in silence for a little while before Asuka piped up again.

"You mentioned something about feelings, what was that about." Tristan sighed.

"It's nothing."

"Like Hell it is. Spit it out." Asuka smacked Tristan on the top of the head to accent her point.

"Keep that up I'll make you walk." He threatened. "Anyway, it just slipped out and didn't mean anything, alright."

"Then why the Hell did you say it. Considering you have the discipline to become a NERV captain at your 'ripe, old age' I would think that you could hold your tongue better." Tristan gave a growl.

"What happened to us? Before all this we used to be friends, before you left for Tokyo-3, that is. But you seem different now. You're more high strung and you're fighting every damn thing that comes up as if you're constantly at war with the world."

"See? Now you're getting back to all that sentimental crap. Would you just stick to one kind of personality for once in your life? Hell you have old memories of me; well I have those of you. They called you 'Winter', you were tough, but now that I look at you, you seem ready to break down and have a fit. You could take anything, when we met again in that military base where you got my report on what had happened at Tokyo-3, I was kind of worried, you were weird."

"It bothered you that much?"

"Again! What the Hell did you do with 'Winter', you impostor!"

"Shut up!"

"I mean, 'Winter' had no friends except for 'Wildfire' and even then it was more like a friendly foe thing. You, you on the other hand can be seen talking with the lieutenants over coffee and have a girlfriend."

"What?"

"You know who I'm talking about, the Timlitt girl."

"Madison? It's not like that."

"Oh yes of course, you're just 'good friends'." Asuka mocked.

"People change, Asuka."

"Exactly my point! So why don't you stop complaining how I act!"

"At least I could tolerate the old Asuka."

"Tough." The conversation ended there, the argument coming to a temporary cease-fire, both sides descending the hill.

Tristan felt conflicted. Asuka was right, over the course of one year he had changed so dramatically. 'Winter' seemed like an old moniker, one that was no longer fitting. He was no longer the tough, cold character he once was, but at the same time he wasn't completely a nice guy. He was simply more passionate about his feelings. That's why he fought with Asuka; it was something that had in common, their former shouting matches. Earlier they had been one-sided, but now it was different and Tristan was talking back to her. It bothered her, and that was probably why she continued to argue.

Tristan of course knew that he couldn't bring up his hypothesis with Asuka. She always hated being analysed. At least some things never change.

_To Be Continued..._

Author's Notes  
This was a rather interesting chapter to write because after awhile, it left me scratching my head as to why I had Tristan do what he did and how Asuka's voice changed near the end of the chapter. Maybe I shouldn't have watched any other anime before finishing this.

Thanks for the support. Again I assure you that I will finish this story so don't worry. I appreciate your encouragement all the same though, thank you.


	12. Chatter

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 12: Chatter  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

The smell of fried fish and the crackle of the frying pan filled the air of the kitchen. Humming a little tune to himself as he flipped the fish over, ever under the watchful eyes of a very particular warm water penguin. Near the opposite end of the kitchen, sitting at the table with only the quiet clink of cutlery betraying his presence, Tristan slowly worked on his breakfast while leafing through the local paper.

"Um, Tristan?" The captain looked up from a cup of coffee, which, to Shinji's relief, was a welcome alternative to the four or five beers that his previous roommate, Misato, had for breakfast.

"What?"

"When should I expect to get back to school." Tristan looked at Shinji strangely and then glanced up at the ceiling.

"You know, now that I think about it… I have no idea. I suppose it's a little difficult for me to remember that you are still fifteen and not a graduate of high school." Shinji gave him a weak, disdainful look.

"Don't you think that's a little…"

"Condescending? I know. Sorry. There's really not any way I can say that without sounding superior. But to tell you the truth, I haven't even checked to see whether or not any form of youth education has been established by the NEC. They must have, considering the amount of kids that have shown up. They couldn't just be running wild." Tristan glanced down at his watch and made a grunt.

"Late for a meeting?" Shinji guessed.

"Nope. Gonna be on time now." Tristan jumped up, grabbing one last slice of toast before throwing on his coat and closing the apartment door behind him.

Tristan was odd in his habits, not exactly like that of an absurd character in a children's novel, but rather, someone who did things differently. Whenever there was a meeting of some sort that was scheduled, he would always ensure that he was early. It would bother him when he gets someplace and is not left idle for very long. He had defended himself by admitting that he wanted to keep ahead of things, but Shinji could tell that he was usually just trying to occupy his time.

Looking back on the conversation he and Tristan had a few days ago, when Asuka first sprained her ankle, Shinji could understand why he wanted to be busy. Tristan believed his heartbreak was real, and whether or not that was true, he wanted to avoid dwelling on it. The easiest way of doing that being focused on something else, like his studies or his job.

Perhaps this was why Shinji was stuck mulling the days away. Having found this small piece of life out in the new world, Shinji didn't have his mind on trying to keep himself and his friends alive. In the beginning, after Third Impact, it was just Asuka and he. Of course they fought but it also seemed like the friendship between them was starting to grow. She was still a handful, but working together and not really wanting to escape the other in fear of being alone brought them closer. Shinji liked it.

When Shigeru joined them in their travels, it began to feel familiar, he rarely ever saw the lieutenant in Tokyo-3, but the commonality that they had a brought out a relationship. He felt like he had a family again, much like when it was him, Misato, and Asuka. Misato and Shigeru both took on the roles of older siblings. Kaji on the other hand, was different, although logically the fact that he and Misato had a relationship would have required Misato to be his foster mother, she didn't have the depth or wisdom that Kaji seemed to have.

A shrieking Pen-Pen interrupted Shinji's stroll down memory lane. With a cry, Shinji immediately flipped the fish out of the frying pan and onto a plate, singed side up. The penguin looked up at him with a pseudo-expression of disappointment on his face.

"Um… Sorry?" The penguin simply continued to stare at him. If the flightless bird wanted to make Shinji feel guilty, mission accomplished.

* * *

The air in the room was wet and thick, the smell of mildew was etched in every crack. Blindfolded, the prisoner growled at his disability. Not only detained by the cuffs on his wrist, but the guard had thought it best to make him temporarily blind as well. But considering their background, these troops could have very well used much more brutal tactics to get him to break down. However, knowing better, the prisoner knew that it would only take a few more sessions of interrogation before his captors got frustrated.

The problem was that he knew nothing. All of these accusations of being a spy for the other side of two organizations he never even heard of. Apparently, he had fallen into some kind of clan war among much more right-wing extremists. Apparently, even in an age of reason, bullies like the ones he had to deal with when he was in school still existed. The strong that preyed on the weak, how disgusting. He wanted to spit, but rubbing his dry cracked lips together reminded him that they had been giving him only the minimum amounts of food and water in order to survive, trying to drag out his duration for as long as was necessary.

The sound of two silenced pistol rounds and the subsequent sound of a heavy weight hitting the floor outside of the cell, told the captive that something was afoot. The blindfold on his face didn't make it any easier to get his bearings as to where he was. Whoever, this was, they were willing to kill another human being, even after the guard had put up so much of a struggle just to earn the right to live again. There were always cold people in the world and it seemed as thought he was fated to meet one.

The rattle of keys and the creaking of the cell doors hinges signalled the arrival of this mysterious visitor.

"Who are you?" The captive whispered. The stranger gave a chuckle.

"I'm hear to get you out. Unless you like being beaten and interrogated." The cuffs on his arms were removed and immediately, the prisoner threw the blindfold off of his face to come eye to eye with a familiar man. Or at least, one who had becomean acquaintancea long time ago.

"Is it really you?"

"I guess so."

"But-" The sound of voices outside caused them both to become silent.

"Guess the diversion worked." The rescuer mused. He pulled a pistol from his belt holster and handed it to his charge. "You know how to fire a gun." A nod. "Let's go then, I don't want us to have overstayed our welcome."

* * *

After an unsuccessful attempt at appeasing his other roommate, Shinji knew there was nothing to gain from sitting around the apartment, not including the burnt fish and tuna smell, and the fact that there was now an angry penguin moping in front of the television set. Shinji decided that it was time he took an aimless walk. Besides, it was high time that he decide to explore the city of Hamburg on his own.

"Shinji!" Without fail, Madison always had the ability to materialize from nothingness when someone passed through a door. There had to have been a culture somewhere in the world that feared this phenomenon. With her usual smile of her face, the girl from New Zealand approached Shinji. "Is Tristan here?"

"Well… Yes. But he left maybe about, fifteen -twenty minutes ago." Some of the cheer seemed to drain out of Madison's body. "Is everything all right?" The girl sighed.

"Yes, I suppose. I wanted to get a chance to talk to Tristan again. You know I think he's been avoiding me."

"What for?"

"That's what I'm trying to find out. Ever since he decided he was going to put you and Asuka through some kind of training program, he's been so busy that he doesn't even stop for coffee. In fact, I think he's probably brewing a pot or two in his office. Speaking of which, how is that training going? He's not being too rough with you two, is he?"

"Well… I don't think so. Though Asuka may think otherwise."

"Look on the bright side. This probably means you're on Tristan's good side for not having any trouble. I mean, it's not really that easy considering the fact that he often acts like a tough as nails sort of guy. But then again, he's a captain of a militaristic organization at his age, so that's a lot you have to get past to impress him. So how have the sync tests been going?"

"Fine, I suppose. Tristan said that Asuka can't go though the sync tests because of her injury."

"Yeah, that's what I heard from some of the technicians from the box a few days ago. Something about complications with the EVA's articulation if the pilot cannot effectively… Um. It's complicated."

"Don't worry. I barely even know what is usually going on myself." Madison looked back at the apartment.

"So do you know where Tristan is, or when he's going to be back?"

"He said he has a meeting. Though he didn't tell me when he was going to get back or anything at all. Besides the two of us are pretty self-sufficient."

"Two? Oh right, I keep forgetting that the two of your are living together. So what is it like living with Tristan."

"I'm not really sure what to say about him. He seems a lot nicer than he appears, though he seems to want to keep his image consistent." Madison nodded and then glanced at her watch.

"So what are you planning to do for the day?"

"Um… Well I was thinking about taking a walk. There's no point in just sitting around the apartment all day, so…"

"Why don't I come with you. You probably don't know the city that well and you probably don't know how to read German, but Tristan has been teaching you to speak it, hasn't he?"

"_Ja?_" A wide grin spread across Madison's face.

"_Hat er dir gebräuchliche Sätze beigebracht, oder nur Wörter?_" There was a long pause as Shinji just stared at the girl.

"_Ja?_" Madison laughed and looked away for a couple of seconds, only managing to drop the hilarity to a small snicker.

"I apologize, that was mean. I just couldn't help but see the look on your face. You looked like a deer caught in headlights."

"What?"

"It's nothing. Anyway, I have a reservation at Bobby Reich's for lunch and since Tristan is probably not going to show, would you like to come along?"

"Why don't you just reschedule?"

"Because Bobby Reich's is a really popular restaurant, even after the Second and Third Impact, I was lucky I was able to get booked with a table on the jetty."

"I think Tristan wanted to take Asuka and I in that area beforeshe got injured. Boy, she was really disappointed."

"I'm not surprised. Say, why don't we go ask and see if she wants to come along, the more the merrier."

"I don't think that would be a good idea. You-"

"You still haven't resolved that one argument? Well I guess I really can't be the one the decide how you're going to deal with your friendship, but she's a nice girl. I know that makes me sound like a mother, but even though she seems mean, I'm sure deep down she has a heart of gold." Shinji shook his head.

"I really think we need time to let this blow over. I'd like to agree with you and have her come along, but I don't want us to get into a fight and ruin your good time."

"Shinji, I always find myself having a good time when the people I'm with are having a good time. But if it bothers you that much…" Madison finished the sentence by shrugging. Shinji turned away and started down the street. "Wait up!"

"What now?"

"You didn't forget that we're going to the jetty, did you?"

"But I thought you wanted to bring Asuka along."

"No, no. It was just a suggestion. I just don't want to eat alone or cancel the reservation."

"So why don't you just ask Asuka to go along with you?"

"Well the thing is, I don't think we started on good footing when we first met. It was probably something I said. I was only suggesting that she come along because it would be nice to get to know the both of you and I was thinking that if one of her friends was coming along, it would help smooth things over, that's all." Madison took a breath and gave a bit of a chuckle.

"Well I don't really think we're friends, so…"

"Then why don't we just go there ourselves? Just the two of us." A look of shock came across Shinji's face.

"You mean like a d-date?" Madison's eyebrows shot up in surprise.

"Oh no! It's not like that! I just wanted to have some company is all."

"Company?"

"Yes, company."

"And not a date?"

"Nope." Shinji breathed a sigh of relief. He looked up to hear Madison giggling.

"Is something wrong?"

"I just never imagined that you would be so… I'm not really sure what the right word is, but you seem awfully uptight around girls. You really seem shy. It's really cute." Shinji looked away, turning and even redder shade that before. "So, you do you want to come. You haven't told me that you wanted to come."

"Um…" Shinji looked back at Madison and could already see disappointment creeping on her face. He gave a weak smile.

"Of course, I'd be happy to come along." This brought a warm smile to the girl's face.

"That's terrific." Madison looked down at her watch. "So you said that you were planning to take a walk?"

"Y- yeah…"

"Well the reservation isn't until noon, so that means we have a little time to kill, so why don't we take that walk of yours. I can show you around and we can chat for a bit. What do you think?"

"That sounds… Great." Madison's smile widened and she nodded.

"Alright, let's go then." She passed Shinji, giving him just enough time to let out a long breath and the pressure he felt pressing down from this encounter. How strange that he would get so flustered over a small thing such as lunch. What was he afraid of? It wasn't like he had a girlfriend or anything, and not insinuating that he thought that lunch with Madison could be considered a date. He was just keeping her company. Besides, she was usually attached to Tristan. It wouldn't hurt to actually try and start making friends, the captain himself suggested he didn't just coop himself up in the apartment all day. Turning, Shinji followed and slowly caught up to walk beside Madison.

"So how has your day been?" Madison asked after reaching the end of the block.

"I guess it's been a pretty normal day. I got up, had some breakfast, though I burnt the fish." Madison wrinkled her nose.

"Fish? I was wondering why you smelt so strange. But why are you cooking fish?"

"Well it's for…" Shinji paused, wondering what Madison would think if he actually admitted that he and Tristan had a warm-water penguin living in their apartment. "A cat." Shinji lied.

"Wow, you're lucky. I haven't seen many animals show up. But then again, not many animals can actually swim. It's a shame really, I'm going to miss the birds." Shinji looked skyward at the mention, recalling that he never even heard a chirp from neither a bird nor a cricket. It did seem sad that some animals were not going to survive. Millions of years of evolution and who was to expect that everything would return to the ocean again. "So what's her name?"

"It's a he… I think. We call him Pen-Pen."

"Pen-Pen? That's a weird name."

"Well Tristan always preferred just calling him 'the cat', so I thought it would be better if the cat was given a better name than that." Madison shrugged.

"I suppose it makes more sense, but why Pen-Pen?"

"It's a long story."

"Ah." A period of silence followed. Shinji was tempted to ask some questions about Madison, but considering what Tristan told him, about how far the girl was from her home and that fact that she might never see her family or friends ever again could cause her to fall into a depression. Shinji didn't want to be the cause of that problem for Madison. But did that mean he was doing what he was out of pity?

"So what do you think of Germany?" Madison asked out of the clear blue. Shinji looked at her then skyward.

"It's nice. Though I still haven't seen much of it."

"It's weird, isn't it? I feel the same way, but for you it must be different. Considering you've already done this before, having to go to Tokyo-3 and living with complete strangers."

"Well at first, yes, it was strange. In fact, it bothered me terribly, but as I stuck to it, I started to feel better and got used to it. I guess it'll be the same way like it is here."

"Did you ever imagine, before you got to Tokyo-3 that you would become a defender of humanity?"

"Defender of… That name seems kind of absurd."

"You're being modest. I'm sure if it wasn't for you, the Angels would have killed us all. I hear that things got pretty messed up before Third Impact, that NERV was falling apart and disbanding."

"Disbanding?"

"I never heard the details, but the sponsors who had supplied NERV's facilities simply dropped out and it started becoming a scramble. Companies bidding for equipment, agents of multiple governments stepping in. A complete power vacuum." Shinji nodded silently, that didn't sound very far from the truth. As soon as Ka- the Seventeenth Angel was killed, NERV immediately went silent. It was like the calm after a battle, when Shinji was still ready to fight but the threat was long gone. Just silence and him thrashing around in the vacuum. That was what the beginning of Third Impact felt like. The whole world simply held it's breath. But Madison's description of what had happened elsewhere made it sound like there was still movement in the silence, it only helped to paint an even more disturbing picture.

"I even heard a rumour that the Japan branch went renegade." Shinji stopped and thought about it. Tokyo-3 went renegade? That would probably explain why those soldiers came. Were they afraid of what his father was going to do with the Evangelions. What was his father going to do with the EVAs when it was all over? Considering how cold his parent had become, he would probably simply take over the world, after all, aside from the Angels, there was nothing that could stop the EVA series except for other Evangelions.

"Do you believe it happened?" Shinji asked.

"I don't know. Did it happen?"

"I don't know, either. I just pilot EVAs, I have nothing to do with what else goes on."

"But you live with the operations director. You still do now, surely you'd have more input than most other personnel at NERV."

"I guess I just never exercised that…" Shinji trailed off, not being able to find the right word to finish the sentence. "It just wasn't my place."

"If you say so." Madison sighed and looked at their surroundings. "I've always heard so much about the seasons, I hope that one day we'll actually get them back. I'd like to see what snow is."

"Snow…" Shinji tested the word on his tongue. The mythical alter ego of rain. "A friend of mine, back in Tokyo-3 had told me that the ecosystem was beginning to return to it's original state."

"How did he figure that?"

"Cicadas were starting to show up in the fields."

"What's a cicada?"

"It's a chirping insect."

"Like a cricket?"

"Um… Yes?" Madison nodded, her image of the cicada formed rigidlyin her mind.

"I'm not sure that will be the same case this time. I don't think anything will ever be the same." Madison's words ended on a dour note. Shinji knew she was starting to become depressed, no doubt about the loss of her family. Shinji's mind raced to find something to say to pull her out of her misery. Nothing tangible formed in his mind however.

"A-are you okay?" Madison looked up and nodded.

"Yes, I'm fine. It's nothing." Silence followed as they strolled down the sidewalk. "Is there anything you want to ask me?" Shinji thought about it for a moment.

"I've seen you every so often at NERV headquarters and yet I don't know what you really do. So…"

"I was wondering when someone was going to ask that. I suppose I should start from the beginning. After Third Impact occurred, you, Asuka, Tristan, and several others all over the world were quickly brought back. This was before the NEC was established, when it was a bunch of people with jeeps combing the beach and using radios to keep in touch. About two weeks later, I crawled out onto the beach and was found. By that time people started to trickle into the cities. I had gotten pneumonia and since most of the medical facilities were at the cost for such an occurrence, I was to remain there for an extra week.

"It was Tristan's squad that had found me in the first place and he seemed to have made it his personal duty to ensure that I lived. Tristan didn't want anyone he found to die, it was so important to him that humanity survived. He would always check on me back then…" Madison trailed off into a nostalgic revelry.

Shinji was amazed at just how drastic the transformation from what Madison was describing to the normalcy that seemed to bleed from every pore of the city. Not a few months ago this place was abandoned and what would become the NEC was simply a chaotic mess of radio signals sent back and forth between campsites dotting the European coast. Not to mention that Tristan was involved since the very beginning.

"And then what happened?" Madison's mind came back into focus and looked back at Shinji before continuing.

"At the middle of the third week, post Third Impact, I had recovered from my illness and was preparing to go with the next supply convoy to the repopulated areas. Along with food, fuel, and everything else the search teams needed, there were also two men in suits who told Tristan that was being assigned to Hamburg. We went together on the same trip to Hamburg where I found out that he was a NERV Captain before the incident and that the NEC wanted him as part of the E-NERV branch. I guess at that point I became attached to him.

"Even after we were supposed to go our separate ways, he kept visiting me, after noticing that I was starting to become depressed. He pulled some strings and got me a job in NERV."

"So you were never NERV personnel to begin with?" Madison shook her head. "So what do you really do as work?"

"Well I'm good with computers, so I am an assistant network technician. It's nothing that fancy, I'm still working on learning the MAGI programming language. The notes are pretty sparse and so I am often stuck doing more of the drudge work with hard connections. I never knew how much maintenance goes in ensure that the cable connections throughout NERV broke down so quickly. Tristan said it was because of reduced funding. As soon as Unit-02 was created, the facility was neglected and two manufacturing bases were used to start work on the other EVAs commissioned to be done by E-NERV. I think it was because all the Angels seemed to have been converging on Tokyo-3 and considering how much collateral damage the city was taking, they had to send all their funds that way.

"You know, I still can't believe the commander of J-NERV decided to betray all of humanity for his own personal gain."

"The commander… Was my father." Surprise and shock erupted on Madison's face.

"Oh I'm so sorry! I didn't mean-"

"I-it's alright." Shinji waved his hand in a dismissive way. "I really don't take offence to that. In fact, it was common to hear bad things about my father. About his work, about my mother…" Madison became very quiet, listening to Shinji's every word. "I got used to hearing it all and it really didn't mean anything to me by the time I got a letter asking for me to come to Tokyo-3. In fact, if I didn't already hate my father, I would have just burned the letter and be done with it."

"Then why didn't you?" Shinji pondered it for a moment.

"Because, the only reason I wanted to come was to reject him personally. I wanted… I wanted to get back at him for abandoning me. I didn't care about my father's work, I wanted to get back at him, to hurt him as much as he hurt me. All the suffering I had to go through because of him." The rage in Shinji's voice tapered off and he looked down at the concrete underneath his feet. "But then, I got side tracked."

"Evangelion?" Shinji nodded.

"I was swept away into my father's project. I came only to reject him and somehow I ended up becoming so integral. I didn't know what to do. The entire city was depending on me to stop the Angels. But I didn't… And then came-" A vision of a blue-haired girl crawled into Shinji's mind, but immediately was replaced by the vicious leer of Kowaru.

Wincing and sweating, Shinji covered his face with his hands and took several sharp breaths. Madison gently placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Are you okay?" Her answer was Shinji snapping his head up towards the horizon, his eyes hazing, before quickly returning to clarity. "You okay?" Madison repeated. Shinji swallowed the lump in his throat and lowered his gaze to his feet.

"Yeah, I'm fine… It's just…" He took a deep breath. "Sorry."

"Don't be. But what was that all about?"

"I- I don't… I think it's something from piloting EVA, I just started to get these dreams… Nightmares rather. They bother me. Sometimes…"

"Do they happen often?"

"I'm not sure. This is the first time it happened while I was awake… I think."

"Do you want to sit down?"

"No! N-no, I'm f-fine." Shinji saw worry deeply etched on the girl's face. He managed a weak smile. "Really… I feel better now."

"You sure?" Shinji nodded. Madison sighed. "Okay, you scared me for a minute there."

"Sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for."

"Sorry." Madison sighed and chuckled, she smiled at Shinji.

"You're so cute." Shinji blushed and looked away, Madison got a laugh out of his bashfulness. "Sorry, it's just that I never expected to run into such a shy guy before. Tristan is so absorbed in what he does, he is like stone, it something knew to see someone who acts like a real boy should."

"'Should'?"

"Well… Not really. But, it's… Cute. That's really the only way I can describe it."

"Cute?" Madison nodded. "I see…"

"I didn't offend you, did I?"

"No… It's just that it was the same thing that someone told me, awhile back… A-a girl."

"Asuka?" Shinji shook his head. "Who then?"

"Her name was Kirishima Mana. She was… A friend I made in Tokyo-3." Madison looked down, already assuming the end of the story.

"I'm sorry."

"You shouldn't apologize. You didn't know."

"Yeah, but…"

"Don't worry. She's long gone…" Shinji continued forward, past a silent Madison. He lifted her head to the sudden sound of screeching tires. The two of them jumped back from the curb as a black car stopped next to them. A man in a black suit scrambled out of the back of the car and left it open for them.

"NERV personnel get it." Shinji blinked.

"W- what's-"

"Now!" The agent barked. Madison, knowing the gravity of the situation dragged Shinji to the door of the car and pulled him in after her. The agent followed in. Shinji looked around the darkened confines of the backseat and looked to the suit next to him. As soon as the door closed the vehicle was in motion. The man, dark shades concealing his eyes looked to a bewildered Shinji. "I apologize for my brashness, but this is extremely important, Mr. Ikari."

"What's this all about?" Madison blurted out.

"A target has been sighted to the north, in the Bering Sea." Shinji's heart clenched in his chest. His worst fears had come true.

**_To Be Continued…_**

Author's Notes  
There is little doubt that I won't get at least a little bit of hate mail after the occurrence of a character that is not really an official part of the Evangelion saga. I'd want to put the blame on Steve, but I know that wouldn't be write, because even though he suggested that I put Iron Maiden's heroine into the story, I still had the final say as to whether or not she would be included or not.

It would also like to address JimmyWolk's review. Before I began writing Primum, I did indeed consult several fan fiction fans and writers concerning the dos and don'ts of an Evangelion fan fiction. The results were informative, and discouraging. ACCs were to be burned at the stake, post 3I was a forbidden subject and under no circumstances should an Eva even be remotely alluded to. Perhaps I don't have the imagination for it, but I've always had a problem with dealing with alternate universe fictions, that is, ones that simply start on an episode and simply throw everything else out the window. But it seems that was the norm and it didn't sit well with me.  
Redemption2 pointed out that I have been taking a lot of risks and he is very right. I knew the risk when I started and frankly, I really don't have a problem. I feel I have been monitoring things enough that there is some kind of division between the main and ACCs, but I suppose that's a matter of opinion.

Thus far I've had a pretty clear idea of what is going to occur in Primum, however, now I'm getting into the realm involving a lot of choices. Further, new instalments may take longer to complete as time goes on, my post secondary education comes first after all.


	13. Declaration

**Disclaimer**  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 13: Declaration  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

Tristan finally felt like he was doing something with his life. Hustling down the corridors of Tower Four towards the operations room, he could see that the entire facility was a hive of activity. Technicians and runners were milling about the halls, clearing out paperwork and double-checking connections. The tower was the first and only line of defence that the NEC had, they had to be ready for the worst.

As the door into the operations room slid open, the captain adjusted the gemstone clasp on his collar and strode in. Sub Commander Septerra looked down at him from his elevated perch.

"Where have you been, Captain?" Septerra growled, expecting a more punctual arrival from the director of operations.

"Satellite interference for my phone. Sun flare." Tristan murmured.

"This is no time to blame your tardiness on natural-"

"With all due respect, let's get to the task at hand. Lectures are for debrief." Ignoring the angry stare from the now insulted Sub-Commander, Tristan stopped at the edge of the platform and looked out on the combat data, panels with streaming data, maps, and video screens, all pointed at the area the battle was to take place. Low-tech as compared to Tokyo-3 and Berlin's facilities, E-NERV was forced to make due. "Unit-06 status."

"Entry plug inserted. Preparing for launch." Tristan picked up a headset near the officer who spoke up and spoke into the microphone.

"Pilot Ikari?"

"Y-yes?" Shinji responded over the speakers.

"Your EVA is going to be provided with the necessary battery packs to reach the shore. Tower Four is not optimized to combat Angels at this time so you will have to engage the enemy at the coast with minimal support."

"But my synch-"

"I am well aware that Unit-06 is resisting input. Don't worry, we're not going to leave you out to dry. UNIT has graciously provided us with two Trident units to provide support."

"Tridents?"

"Affirmative, they're not as potent as the Evangelions, but they are far less costly and have been mass produced since the middle of last year." Shinji was silent, clearly the explanation wasn't what he was after. After all, he already encountered the Tridents back at Tokyo-3. Again images of Mana came to his mind. Now looking back at his relationship with her, Shinji didn't know what to think of the former spy. He felt bad that he hadn't thought about her as much as he should have. But their relationship was slow fleeting and he could never be sure if what she had told him was fact or simply a well conceived lie. More than likely though, it meant nothing after the end of the world. The Tridents were like a headstone, a symbol of her.

"Understood." Shinji replied after a moment of silence.

"I never liked the sound of that from the start." Septerra grumbled. Tristan lowered the receiver.

"Let's just hope they are more afraid of Angels than us." The captain added before continuing Shinji's briefing.

"The Tower Four surveillance equipment is a tad faulty so we are relying on the Tridents to each be a second pair of eyes and ears for us in case you're not positioned directly in the target's path. You will all be separated by about three miles apart."

"Alright." The shore. The setting of this battle sounded a lot like the first proper battle Shinji had with Asuka, when things were less complicated. Back in those days Asuka was just and arrogant bitch and a rookie. No matter how much simulation time she had gone through, she had been far too reckless. If Shinji wasn't forced to live with her, he would have been quite happy to ruffle her feathers as much as possible. At least, he imagined he would have wanted to. Touji had described her best and at that time Shinji had to agree, Asuka was a Grade-A psychotic bitch. However, getting to know someone always made it more complicated to understand them.

"Battery packs are being outfitted in order to get you to the site, we have few actual launch tunnels and we have no transports to take you in the air. As soon as you are launched and your cable released, you need to get to the staging area. The computer already has the waypoints which will come up on your heads-up display."

"Okay."

"You are paying attention, correct? I'm not just doing this to test my vocal chords."

"I know that. Please continue."

"Was that necessary, Captain?" Septerra murmured. Tristan ignored him.

"You will be provided a machine rifle at the staging area. From there the operation will begin. We are unable to get any data on the target so be ready for anything. The two Tridents will also be engaging the target to compensate for your low synch ratio, they will try and stay out of your way, but just make sure you don't get too excited. If you or they get too out of control, someone could get killed."

"Understood."

"I don't want that Angel to even put a single toe on dry land, we're counting on you." Tristan took a breath. Shinji didn't respond. "That's everything you need to know for now. Prepare for launch."

"Yes, sir." Shinji mumbled.

The pilot scanned the plug of Unit-06, the HUD covered in several diagnostic programs, the regular procedure when the machine was on the threshold of a routine launch. Weapon inventory, servo balance, synapse roster. It was all typical and something that the boy had ignored. At most, everything seemed like an exercise that was often brought up after the power outage fiasco prior to the entrance of the Eighth Angel.

Shinji knew better though than to simply think of this as just another exercise. The Angels were back. The end of the world didn't mean anything to them as they pressed the pursuit now. Was it really the Angel's intent to kill all of humanity. Was Kowaru's claims of humanity's survival true, or was he simply trying to bring peace to Shinji when he knew the result all along. The Angels were the undeniable plague that would swallow up everything.

When everything dissolved into chaos at NERV HQ in Tokyo-3, Misato had tried to cram so much information down Shinji throat when he wasn't even interested in paying attention to the world. Things had gotten so out of hand that he just didn't want to respond to the stimuli. Perhaps it was to get into the same state Asuka was in. She seemed so peaceful. A sickening image caught up with him and Shinji snapped his eyes open.

"Shinji, are you alright?" Tristan asked. The boy blinked away the disturbing memory.

"Yes, I'm fine. Let's get started."

"Evangelion, launch!" Tristan barked. The LCL did little to reduce the intense force of inertia on the pilot's body as the high powered trains yanked the Evangelion up off the cage floor and upwards at an extreme rate, electromagnetic grooves throwing the unit like a rail gun shell, up through Tower Four's shafts.

The jolt at the end of the trip was no less startling as Shinji's innards shot up to his collar at the same time as the Evangelion's head snapped upwards, sounding like a cracking whip. Recovering from the violent motion of the launch, Shinji gritted his teeth as the shoulder clamps were released and the weight of the torso caused it to lurch forward with a groan. The small hissing pop of the umbilical cable followed with the shrill chirp of a battery counter.

The inertia of the release prompted Shinji to make his EVA take it's first step and start towards his destination. First walking at a fast clip, the Evangelion slowly moved up to a long striding sprint across the countryside, Hamburg soon becoming a dot in the distance. The EVA made wide strides like a athletic runner, hurdling over derelict power lines and hopping rivers.

"Impressive." Tristan mused to himself and those around him. He glanced down to see a small yet significant rise in Pilot Ikari's synch ratio.

"Grace under pressure." Septerra commented, seeing the value on his terminal as well. Tristan smiled inwardly at the saying, wondering how Asuka would have done or how she was going to react with the news on how quickly Shinji was now getting back into the saddle. The little sprain was probably going to doom her career as a pilot, but Tristan didn't feel any remorse at the thought. This coldness he became aware of was a empowering sign for Tristan, the name Winter seemed to be creeping back into himself. But what would have begun the metamorphosis? Perhaps the threat of Angels, seeing another Evangelion pilot, or perhaps it was Asuka herself.

The parallels were eerie. Tristan had trained his whole life to become an Evangelion pilot and Asuka had started so late into the game when it came to training. And now here they were again, Tristan still ahead with regard to a career and Asuka was being held back by a normal occurrence, today it was an injury, but in the past it was… A normal childhood?

Considering the records of the three of them, Tristan, Shinji, and Asuka, the captain realized that Asuka was the only one among them who had the opportunity to live an ordinary life. Even though Asuka lost her mother, she still had her father and stepmother, with only a small change of outlook, she could have been completely normal and free from the trials the two men were to face. But then again, Shinji also had the opportunity to leave NERV whenever he wanted, he hadn't invested the same amount of time and effort that the two European pilots had. It seemed that Tristan was the only one that was actually chained to his duty. No decisions, no need to question. Things were simpler this way, but at the same time it was disappointing.

Tristan's life revolved around the Angels. So what would happen to him if they did indeed all disappear? What good was a shepherd without his flock? His life was meaningless beyond the Angels, as was the lives of the other pilots. Tristan would be damned if history forgot the names of himself and the other Children.

Before one of the lieutenants informed him, Tristan looked up to see Unit-06 skid down a hill, coming to a stop before swampy, red earth before the ocean. Unit-06 crouched down at the foot of the hill, wasting no time in retrieving the umbilical plug lying on the heavily reinforced concrete pad NERV's field equipment was on. A group of trucks, flatbeds, and cranes, plus the large power generator that would be feeding the Evangelion sat nearby, technicians crawled upon the power generator as others checked the small coolant units next to it.

Shinji carefully moved the main controls carefully and slowly. The boy licked his dry lips as he manoeuvred the tempermental machines hand around the machine rifle lying on one of the flatbeds. If lifted it the wrong way he was going to break the axle with Unit-06's hand or drop the weapon and crush the vehicle. He hated having to do field work, the work being much more meticulous than just grabbing the weapon sent up and blasting away. A guide, trying to be of some use, used his light sticks to try and direct the acquisition of the weapon. The young woman was probably just a little older than Shinji and smiled up at Unit-06 as it raised the rifle. Shinji, even though he knew she couldn't see, smiled and gave a small wave from inside the plug.

Glancing to the side, Unit-06's pilot counted only 4 extra clips of ammunition were lying on the concrete pad. If this Angel was well armoured, Shinji was going have to tangle with the monster in close combat. Something that Shinji didn't enjoy considering how merciless the Third and Fourteenth Angels were. But then, the NEC wasn't completely prepared to face an Angel, as Tristan had warned, despite they were dancing with oblivion by setting themselves up with so many Evangelions and pilots that the enemy would see them as the biggest threat.

Cradling the rifle in the EVA's arms, Unit-06 stood up and wrapped a hand around the trigger, resting the muzzle on top of the right hand. The feedback told Shinji that the grip was loose, but the Evangelion refused to close it's hands tighter on the handle.

"Unit-06 in position." Shinji reported. Tristan gave a slight smile and nod even though he knew the pilot would not see either.

"Good work. At least didn't start you on your face." Shinji grunted, remember how quickly Unit-01 had tripped on its own two feet during its sortie with the Third Angel.

"Could we please not talk about it?" Shinji was actually quite pleased at how well he was handling of Unit-06, despite being a new machine and his low synch ratio. It seemed as though he was getting back into his usual mind set and the Evangelion was responding to it.

It was believed that the neural net of the Evangelions would at first resist Shinji and Asuka, considering that they had been tested by their designated pilots and so would not be used to new thought waves. Indeed, at first Unit-06, if it were really alive, seemed to absolutely hate Shinji, refusing to do the most menial of movements.

"Alright then, we'll get down to business. Your HUD is marked with the general locations of the two Trident units, positioned on rock formations in a shallow part of the shore, 3 miles from you and 3 miles from each other." Two green reticules appeared and marked the distanced of the targets to be around the three mile mark.

"I see the indicators."

"Okay. Judging from the direction the target has been moving, the Angel will be passing between the two Tridents and moving in your direction. The plan will be to have the Angel pass the two Tridents and have you engage it a one point five miles from the coast. Once you engage, the Tridents will activate and move up on the Angel from the rear flanks and catch it in a cross fire. You got that?"

"A mile and a half from shore. Got it."

"Good."

"Captain, I have a contact at 2 o'clock, eight miles from the staging area." Tristan's heart skipped a beat.

"Another Angel?" The lieutenant who gave the news quickly scanned the new data.

"Negative. It's UN Littoral Combat Ship 'Bull Dog'."

"An LCS? What class?"

"The 'Bull Dog' has just contacted us, they just came from Norway and want to help out." A second lieutenant reported.

"ASW class, sir." Responded the first lieutenant. Tristan silently raised his hands in exhasperation.

"Is something the matter, Captain?" Septerra asked.

"What good is an Anti-Submarine vessel in an Angel battle?" The captain asked those present. No one answered the rhetorical question. "Tell them to go home."

"I have a second contact now." The first lieutenant added.

"God, what now, a tug boat?"

"Unknown. No signatures that can be identified. Object of significant mass on sea surface, 12 o'clock, 6 miles from staging area."

"What the Hell is going on here? I want to know what that is!" A few seconds of frantic typing from the lieutenant being a weak whimper came out of him.

"The system says the information could not be found."

"Trident One has picked up the target's signature on passive sensors. Estimated time of arrival to Trident Two's sensor area is five minutes."

"And to Unit-06?"

"Eight minutes." An idea popped into Tristan's head.

"Contact the Bull Dog and find out if they have sub hunting helicopters and how long it will take them to get one to the coordinates of the unidentified contact." There was a brief pause.

"Six minutes." The second lieutenant responded.

"Tell them to do so, I want to know what is going on out there."

"Understood."

"I have a bad feeling about this." Septerra muttered.

"I'm just hoping for the best." Tristan responded in kind. "Shinji, we are getting some reconnaissance from the UN LCS 'Bull Dog', if you can, keep the fighting away from the northeast."

"O-okay."

"You doing alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine. The angel will arrive in ten minutes?"

"Less than."

"Okay. I'm ready."

"Make sure that you keep it at bay with machine gun fire until the two Tridents can come in for support. I don't want you to rush in if the EVA is acting ornery." Shinji sighed, Tristan was making it sound as if he didn't know what he was doing. In all sense, Shinji was the veteran and should know what to do. But then, Tristan no doubt had military training and more understanding of tactics, but the fact remained that his commander didn't have to explain such elementary combat tips to him.

"I know."

"Target has come in sensor range of Trident Two and is slowly accelerating. New ETA to Unit-06 is three minutes."

"Damn it! Shinji it's sped up, get ready for it any minute now." Tristan heard Shinji grunt in surprised and the Evangelion raised the rifle up to point at the water's edge.

"Sub hunter 'Terrier One' is approaching the coordinates… It's an aircraft carrier?" The entire operations room stood frozen for a moment. "Repeat, the unknown contact is an aircraft carrier."

"How could something that large get into the area without being detected!" Tristan cried.

"There are still many holes in the NEC defense grid. I'm amazed we detected the Angel when we did." Septerra grumbled once more.

"One, no two, VTOL aircraft have lifted off the run way. Harriers."

"Why, vertical take off?" There was a pause.

"There is a large mechanical spindle with a thick black cable running into the water towards shore."

"Those two VTOLs are headed right for the staging area." The first lieutenant cried.

"Black cab-" A cold shot of horror struck Tristan just before the operations room fell into chaos.

"Anti-aircraft fire from carrier. 'Terrier One' is hit and going down!"

"Target has doubled it's speed, ETA 50 seconds!"

"Trident One and Two have mobilized without authorization and are headed towards the staging area."

"VTOLs sighted by staging area per-" Shinji jumped, seeing two small specks in the sky streak towards him.

"Have the concrete platform evacuated! Shinji, activate your AT field!"

"W-what?" Shinji saw small specks of light drop from the now visible aircraft and come directly at him. Shinji took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Unit-06 hunched down as the volley of missiles slammed into the staging area, causing the plug to hum with the violent movement outside.

"Missiles have been fired from VTOLs! The place is in flames."

"Generator status?"

"Undamaged."

"Shinji, shoot those aircraft out of the sky." Shinji's eyes shot open and he looked up at the two aircraft wheel away and prepare for another strike. A shot of realization struck him, his commander was ordering him to kill human beings?

"His AT field isn't activated."

"What's going on?" Shinji demanded, as he heard frantic voices from Tristan's end of the channel before hearing Tristan return.

"Do it!" The captain roared into the microphone.

"Angel is surfacing!" Tristan and Shinji's eyes respectively looked up, the former to the video screen of the battle, and the latter to what appeared on the middle of his view. A dark blue humanoid form rose out of the water, looking like an anorexic man, it lifted a massive heavy cannon towards Unit-06.

"Damn thosebastards." Septerra growled.

"Ikari, evade!" Shinji gave out a yelp and everything stopped for an agonizing long second. The entire planet holding its collective breath waiting for the aftermath as time prepared to catch up.

Unit-06 dropped down and twisted. A white bolt of energy sundered the gun in the EVA's hand, showering the burning wrecks around it in metal shrapnel. A second volley of Harrier missiles slammed down into the collection of vehicles, causing the entire platform to erupt into a heavenly inferno. Shinji's AT field arose just as the flames rolled across the Evangelion's back. The target levelled another shot and fired. Unit-06 jumped sideways to evade the blast. The subsequent explosion threw the umbilical cable violently into Shinji's legs, throwing it off balance. Shinji slammed into the wreckage and immediately twisted his head to see the enemy line up his weapon again. He instinctively rolled backwards and away from the third blast. The concussion of the blast slammed him against the generator as he got to his feet. Pushing away from the generator, the unit stumbled as it got tied up in the umbilical cable. The fourth shot rang out but wasn't aimed at Shinji. The generator bloomed in fiery brilliance.

Shinji heard the battery give a shrill cry as his five minutes were counting down. Panic overtook him as the enemy reappointed his aim to Shinji. Glancing down at Unit-06's feet, now tangled in the useless umbilical cord, Shinji knew he was finished if he didn't act quickly. Gritting his teeth and eyes desperate, he deployed a progressive knife and wildly slashed at the cable, cutting up his leg at the same time. He jettisoned the now useless cable scrambled way. The target lead the shot and fired. Shinji halted only meters from where the blast would hit. Red water and wet earth flew up into the air as the concussion threw the EVAs torso up and backwards. The feedback told him that he was struck in the chest, and the EVA, falling backwards while on it's knees yanked at the muscles in his thighs, causing him to cry in surprise.  
Unit-06 threw itself sideways and onto its front and raised it's head to look back at the gunner as he adjusted his aim. Shinji looked around frantically, his options and stimuli starting to become overwhelming.

"Tristan! What do I do? Where are the Tridents?" Shinji cried, his voice wavering in fear. Tristan let out a loud growl or anger.

"Get off of the shore and away from the target! Those Tridents are going to kill you!"

"W-what?" Panic crept in as the entire parameters of the machine were thrown out the window and Shinji was only seeing things unfold two seconds too late.

The enemy fired another round, but Shinji didn't respond fast enough to avoid it. Lying prone, Shinji twisted the Evangelion's left arm to cover his head. The blast seemed to bury itself under Unit-06, the explosion throwing it head over heals. The wind blown out of Shinji's body, he felt weightless for a moment before his EVA slammed into the side of the hill. Searing pain then caught up and burned into Shinji's left arm and chest, he began gasping for air. Through watering eyes, Shinji saw the target charge through the water towards him. Shinji began to get up when the enemy's foot slammed down onto his chest, his attacker having covered the distance at a phenomenal speed.

"An EVA?" Shinji didn't even come to terms with what he was fighting in the confusion of the attack. He looked up at the malicious yellow eyes of his assailant as it aimed the cannon at the collar of Unit-06, planning to vaporize the entry plug in one shot. Shinji's mouth seal shut and he stared at the topaz glimmer as the monster pulled the trigger.

The sound of the empty chamber echoed through the landscape. Perplexed the enemy Evangelion tested the trigger twice more. Shinji tightened his grip on his progressive knife and without thinking, swung and twisted it into the back of the leg holding him down. Grabbing the ankle with his other hand, he hauled the target off of himself, causing it to list to the side with the dead weight of the empty cannon. Unbalanced now, it stumbled off to the side, giving Unit-06 plenty of room to rise.

Pulling himself to his feet, Shinji faced the now impaired Evangelion, the knife gripped tightly in his fist. He glanced at his battery counter. Less than three minutes. And with the Tridents heading for him he wouldn't be able to win. He was finished.

The enemy, hauling the cannon back to a management angle, stood erect again, indicating a skilled pilot, but it paused for a second, becoming still. Shinji knew that it wasn't a sensor error, but the machine had become far too still to simply be observing him.

"Perfect! Enemy distracted. Shinji, retreat!" For once, Shinji knew of the danger and didn't question it. He turned and clamoured away from the shore and began sprinting away from the battlefield, the battery counter seeming to drop just as quickly as he ran.

"Thirty seconds before Unit-06 is in the missile field." Informed one of the lieutenants.

"'Terrier Two' is disengaging." The second reported. Tristan held his breath.

"Target is not pursuing Unit-06. Tridents One and Two are continuing on however.

"Deploy that guided mortar launcher, give Ikari some cover fire." The gambit worked. 'Terrier Two' had thrown torpedo at the enemy vessel and had gotten them so scared about losing the umbilical cable, they were disengaging. That left only the two Tridents and a lot of it depended on how quickly Shinji could get deep enough inside the range of Tower Four's missile range. The Tridents wouldn't have the armour do stop a guided missile.

"Launcher in place."

"Fire a shot across the nose of the leading Trident, see if it scares them." Shinji heard a cracking noise and a loud explosion behind him. Not giving himself time to dwell on why thunder was starting to sound, he sprinted onwards towards Tower Four.

"No affect on their path."

"Balls of steel." Tristan commented.

"Unit-06 is now in the safe zone."

"Arm the arsenal then, let those Tridents get killed if they want." Soon after Tristan said that the displays of the region showed the two Tridents slowing down.

"Tridents are disengaging and heading for the carrier. Should we pursue?"

"Negative. Let them run. We don't have the resources at this time to return the favour." The energy in the operations room died down as the danger passed.

"Shinji, are you alright." Shinji was breathing heavily, coming off of the adrenaline surge. Recognizing the disembodied voice he was hearing, Shinji calmed himself as much as possible.

"Uh, y-yeah, did the-" The line went dead.

"Batteries depleted, Unit-06 has gone silent." The first lieutenant reported, now sounding almost relieved.

"Get a recovery team over to Unit-06's location and retrieve Pilot Ikari. Tell 'Bull Dog' to make landfall and have a rescue team sent for any survivors of the 'Terrier One' crew." Tristan ordered and turned to Septerra. The sub-commander scanned over the combat data as it came onto his monitor and folded his arms. He glanced up at Tristan for a few seconds before looking down again and giving a sigh.

"Intelligence has received a communication from UNIT… It's a list of grievances followed by a declaration." The same lieutenant as before piped up.

"Never mind telling me. I already know what the declaration is." Silence came among all of the high ranking personnel in the room.

"So what do we do now, Operation's Director?" Septerra asked, defying the vacuum after about a minute.

"When Pilot Ikari returns, we begin debriefing. Before then we send the information to High Command for review and a decision on how to proceed concerning UNIT's actions."

"You're not going to take command of this situation, captain?"

"My job is commanding operations concerning Angels, not human beings and Evangelions. Unless my protocol is changed, I will be doing my job."

"Where did this attitude come from, Tristan?"

"I don't like being… Flexible?" The sub-commander sighed, assuming that Tristan was a pile of shuddering nerves. He almost lost his best pilot as well as his job over a strategic oversight they all made. The captain was simply trying to cope with it and would no doubt let it out some other time. Hopefully, his office would be salvageable when he exploded inside it.

Silence was all that had greeted Asuka when she was first brought to Tower Four. With the Angel attack imminent, she had been whisked away by the rag tag members of the NERV special service to be brought here. With her sprained ankle she couldn't fight, but also with no one to help her in her state of reduced mobility, it wouldn't be wise to leave a pilot to try and evacuate to a shelter. So here she was, in the safest place in Hamburg, second only to the entry plug of an Evangelion.

Sitting across the three seats of, Asuka was flipping through the pages of the journal she had found two months ago. Over the course of her journey from Japan, Asuka had little time to actually page through the discovery she found. It was here in Hamburg when she had managed to find enough time to go about reading the volume. Underneath the pillow, elevating her injured leg, a small portable radio was playing soft music from one of the entertainment only channels on the airwaves. Asuka prayed that the sound wouldn't draw anyone she would regret having a conversation with, namely Madison.  
Even though Madison claimed to have a job at NERV, Asuka believed that it was a ton of bull that the girl was only using as an excuse to be near Tristan. In a state of battle like this, the fool was probably stuck sitting on her hands, with not a care in the world. Every time Asuka had a thought about Madison, it only added more to the least of things that made the red-head revile the artist.

The thunder of movement caused Asuka to raise her eyes away from the page and around herself as dozens of NERV personnel frantically passed through the area. Runners, informants, and specialists, moving around as an emergency of some sort sprung up within the base. From her state, Asuka could not grab someone to find out what was going on and the sense of purpose within the crowd told her not to draw their attention from the task at hand.

After the stampede passed, with only the music betraying the exit of the event, Asuka was left only to sit and wonder. The sound of footsteps approached and the German girl noticed two specialists along side Madison, walking briskly in the opposite direction of the previous mob. Asuka knew she was going to regret it, but she sat at and called Madison. The other girl stopped and glanced at Asuka in surprise, the two other personnel continuing on ahead.

"What's going on?" Asuka asked. Madison made a quick glance towards her colleagues to ensure she wasn't being missed. "The place is starting to seem like a hornet's nest."

"After what happened on the front line today, we have been ordered to begin full-scale combat procedures. Hamburg may come under attack at any time." Asuka was taken aback at how direct and clear Madison was, and from the look of worry in the girl's eyes, she knew that this was real.

"From the Angels?"

"No, UNIT." Asuka narrowed her eyes, not seeming convinced. "The UNIT forces that were to help Shinji were there to set a trap for him."

"You mean the Angel…" Asuka trailed off.

"UNIT's Evangelion." The German girl slowly looked down towards her lap. After a few moments of contemplation, she raised her head and looked straight ahead.

"What's happened to him?" Asuka asked in a low and even tone.

"To Shinji? He-"

"Madison! For the love of God quitscrewing around and get to work!" Madison and Asuka both jumped out of their skin as they heard the captain bellow. Tristan stormed into view, so enraged he looked like he was ready to tear someone apart. Madison was startled by her commander's abrupt and violent entrance.

"T-Tristan I-I-"

"Shut up and get going! Stop wasting time!" Tristan roared. Madison took a step back then turned and ran after her colleagues. Asuka looked from the hall Madison disappeared to, to Tristan standing there, seething and glaring as he followed the girl's exit.

"What the Hell was that? You didn't have to-"

"You shut up and listen!" The captain barked, turning his attention to Asuka. "UNIT has declared war on the NEC. We are no longer dealing with Angels but EVAs and Tridents."

"Tridents?" Asuka didn't recognize the term for a few seconds, but just as the realization came, Tristan was walking away.

"You better hope to God your ankle heals faster, because you have no time for training anymore!" Tristan yelled from down the hall. Asuka looked back down at the journal and closed her eyes. War was supposed to be a horrible event, one that became practically extinct after Second Impact when humanity was able to take a step back and realize the value of cooperation. For Asuka, war was a contemporary history book's footnote. When the world ended fifteen years ago, the notion became irrelevant.

Asuka had believed that war between humans would never happen again, that bodies would not pile like they did during the great wars in the early part of the twentieth century. Yet here they were, on the verge of another one of these needless events. The majority of Tower Four, everyone seemed to be emotionless, going about their need duties with empty urgency. A state of shock was being shared by among everyone, and now Asuka too was being affected. Tristan seemed to be the only one at the moment who was actually reacting to it, exploding and yelling at everything and everyone around him.

Asuka thought about how Shinji would have, or was, taking this himself. He was on the front lines when everything happened. To actual face human enemies again, but not like the conditioned when Unit-03 was taken over by an Angel. Madison wasn't given the chance to tell what happened to Shinji. A strange mix of joy and dread washed over Asuka. Tristan's anger may not have been from the emotional shock of the war, but from loss. The loss of his favourite pilot, to be exact.

Even with a horrid turn of events, the music still played on.

**To Be Continued…**

Author's Note  
No doubt a lot of you are confused as to what was going on in this chapter, but truth be told I have yet to have much practice in writing effective action scenes, and a lot of exposition had to be avoided fro the save of keeping things interested, namely in the UNIT's Declaration. For those who are still concerned about when the actual story of PRE begins, rest assured that the chapters will push the story along. In retrospect, twelve chapters to establish the setting was a tad ridiculous, I just hope I can effectively make up for lost time.  
This was a tough chapter to write, namely because of how the action scene needed to have the sense of instant fatality in it. That and I constant felt like something was missing, mostly in the beginning of the chapter. But then again, the point and necessary event was put on the table in the chapter so I shouldn't wait forever in tweaking it.  
It seems as though my ACC, Tristan, is still in the development stages of his character, in retrospect I am beginning to have a difficult time understanding his actions as he shifts between different mental states. Some people may become concerned because a lot of the story seemed to be told around Tristan. The problem was the position of characters in the scenario, to which Shinji didn't have anyone in particular to interact with.  
I've been doing my best to try and get a schedule going with regards to getting these chapters done in order to complete the whole thing in a timely manner. It seems strange that it was about a year ago since I first got started on this project. But then again, the series anniversary is still a couple of months away. Perhaps I will devote more to my musings then, until then enjoy this chapter and continue reading. Cheers!


	14. Grind Fever

**Disclaimer**  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 14: Grinding Fever  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

Tristan flinched at the light knocking at the door of his office. Lifting his head from his desk, he glanced around the room and to the floor piled with papers from his tantrum. With a sigh, he got up out of his office chair and went to the door and pulled the latch open, letting a crack of light come into the darkened room.

"Yeah?" Tristan murmurred.

"It's Madison. C-can I come in?" The captain was about to ask why her voice was filled with some much trepidation, but he quickly remembered his outburst in the hallway. No wonder she was scared. Looking back to the mess around the desk, he wasn't too sure if she was going to not feel threatened. "I- I'd like to talk to you." Having taken to long to respond, Madison was prompted to give a reason for her presence. With a sigh, Tristan opened the door and allowed the girl to enter.  
Madison blinked in the darkness. Tristan's office didn't have the luxury of a window, and he had gone and kept the lights off. The only illumination came from the ambient blue glow of the computer monitor, which was enough to reveal the remains of Tristan's physical attack on his surroundings. She heard the door shut behind her and Tristan brushed past to sit down on the corner of the desk.

"So what's this about, Madison?"

"Well, my work is done and I was... Worried about you." Tristan grunted.

"Worried? About what?"

"As soon as you left the operations room, you weren't yourself."

"Are you sure about that?" Madison blinked, her eyes having now adjusted to the darkness. Tristan's face was pointed towards the floor, not meeting her gaze. She looked away and didn't answer the question. "Sorry." She looked up and saw that he was still transfixed on the floor.

"For what?" Tristan's gaze turned to something else.

"Yelling at you. It was inexcusable, you were probably doing something meaningful."

"I was just talking to Asuka, about what was going on."

"Then it was definately wrong of me. I apologize."

"There's no need. I should have been getting to work."

"No... No. I... I humiliated you."

"It's okay. Really." Madison looked down at the mess on the floor and stooped down to pick some of the fallen dossiers up.

"Leave it." Madison stopped and stood up. "I'll clean it up later." A silence lingered for several moments between the two of them.

"I've missed talking to you, Tristan." Madison murmured. Finally, Tristan lifted his head up to look at her. "We used to talk to each other so much, and now it seems as though you don't have time for me. It feels as though you are avoiding me at every turn." His head dropped.

"Things… Things are getting complicated now. From maintaining these three Evangelions, training our pilots, and the war, it has gotten to the point where I almost have no time for anything."

"But it seems you have time for Shinji and Asuka." Tristan let out a sigh.

"I don't want to make it sound like you are not important, but dealing with the pilots of Unit-06 and 07 is of top priority." Madison looked away. "There are a lot of responsibilities in keeping things together."

"There are also a lot of responsibilities to maintaining a friendship."

"You sound so selfish when you say that. I know you are lonely, but I can't just be the only one to keep you company. Everyone relies on what I do and I cannot simply be there are your beck and call. You've been distancing yourself from people and expect me to fill all the gaps."

"Why are you reprimanding me? It's not easy to make friends as you may think. We're all different form other people. There is a stigma around all members of NERV and you expect me to find others when I have just lost everything. My home, friends, and family, are all gone and you expect me to just turn around and forget about them?"

"I'm not saying that you have to turn your back on them. But I can't be the only one you can rely upon for attention. Surely you've been trying to meet other people." Madison closed her eyes and took a deep breath, calming herself after being on the verge of shouting at the captain. She knew he wasn't trying to insult her, but what with the way things were, she was starting to become upset.

"Well…" The girl started slowly and methodically. "I've tried making friends with Asuka, but I can easily tell that she simply doesn't like me. I don't know why it is, but she just has a problem with me. I don't want to jump to conclusions as to why, but…" She trailed off, recalling how she and the Second Child's first encounters were rather cold. At first Madison believed it was because the German girl was insulted with her tardiness at the meeting of the captain's staff. But after giving sufficient time for things to blow over, however, Madison knew that Asuka's reactions were not out of spite but something else.

The fact that Asuka disliked her could have been something that had to do with Tristan. Perhaps she felt threatened when she realized that Madison was friends with her superior commanding, therefore making her think if Asuka threw her prestigious weight around, Madison would get Tristan to set things straight. But Madison wouldn't be the one to exploit such a relationship.

"Continue." Tristan prodded. Madison took to a deep breath.

"I think she feels her career is in danger. She will not be able to pilot again if she fails."

"And what does that have to do with you?"

"She's strong and from what you told me, arrogantly prideful. I think she doesn't want  
to have a relationship with someone who can allow her to get back in good graces. She doesn't want to cheat herself."

"'Cheat herself'?"

"She wants to earn her place using her merit, not by having connections with someone else. Knowing myself, if we were friends I would be hard pressed not to help her get some sort of recognition from command." Tristan grunted. "Hypothetically speaking, I wouldn't want to undermine you."

"So you think she doesn't like you because you would help her?" Madison nodded. Tristan thought about that for a moment. "What about Shinji?"

"I-I thought we were here to talk about each other and not the pilots."

"You brought them up." Tristan then heard the sound of his cell phone. Sliding off the desk he began digging through the documents at Madison's feet. Pulling the device from the mess he brought it to his ear. A curt conversation passed between Tristan and the person on the other end. The captain then looked to her. "The synch tests are starting now, I have to go." He brushed past her for the door.

"Wait." Tristan felt a tug at his arm and he stopped, looking back to the girl. "Could you… Could you at least try to take time to chat with me from now on?" Tristan paused for a few seconds, studying the features of Madison's face, limited only back the darkness.

"We'll see." The captain whispered. He pulled his arm free and left the office, leaving Madison alone. In darkness Madison stared down at her shoes, she was angry, frustrated, and confused. She was jealous of Asuka and Shinji, because they were getting so much attention and here she was losing the only person she had ever gotten close to. Even worse, not only was she losing him, but he was getting more and more cold.

* * *

"This was the Commander's decision, not mine."

"A likely story. What's your angle?"

"With this new development, the Commander has decided that this is the most prudent course of action."

"A likely story. You're just trying to screw me out."

"Unit-08 will be completed in a few short weeks, we have to be prepared."

"It smacks of something when you are the one to get the fully optimized unit."

"Probably because I won't mess it up as quickly as you would."

"What was that you bastard?"

"You heard me!"

"If this thing had arms attached, I would-" Shinji sighed in exasperation, hearing Tristan and Asuka raise holy Hell on the comm frequency. The technicians couldn't even get a word in through the fervent storm the two were causing. No doubt they were not focusing on their sync ratios, and all that noise was easily distracting Shinji.

Less than two days had passed since the battle at the beach. At least, that was what the news called it. Shinji knew it had been a massacre, while Tristan would have probably called it a disgrace. At least that was what he could tell from the captain's attitude. Already sync tests were starting up again, but this time the enigmatic commander of Tower Four had decided that Tristan should now be taking regular sync tests for preparation of Unit-08's completion and the possibility of pilot fatalities. Asuka was already livid when she saw Tristan heading to the cages in a plug suit.

Asuka's leg had yet to heal fully, and Tristan said that it would take a few more weeks. However, Tristan had changed his plans about leaving Asuka at bed rest until she was fully healed. One reason was because of this new situation and getting everyone up to snuff as best as possible. Second was the apparent stroke of luck that they had after the battle. It had turned out that 'Bull Dog' was not only getting involved in the fight, but was also transporting several former NERV personnel who they collected from the Norwegian shores. Although everyone was happy about the news, Tristan and Shinji both were a little skeptical, it was almost too convenient. Shinji wasn't sure why he was so paranoid, but then the crash course he receive concerning the dark truths of NERV caused his outlook to change.

The majority of the personnel that came from Norway were programmers, the ones who were responsible for managing the function of the MAGI computers. There was no mention as to where they were originally from, but Shinji had to assume they were from the North American branch, because none of their names were ones that Shinji recognized. For that matter, there wouldn't be any he would recognized, he barely even knew Shigeru until they had met so long ago after Third Impact. He let out a sigh, part of him missed those days, where he would be able to avoid this situation, but the other half of him realized this was the closest thing to normalcy. Shinji just wished Shigeru was here, after all, he still felt as if Shigeru's disappearance was his fault.

As for the MAGI computer programmers, Tristan said that they were able to reconfigure how the MAGI and Unit-05 would communicate. They called it the 'splint' system and was designed for the EVA to compensate for injuries that the pilots could acquire. Asuka would be the test subject of the new program. Shinji at first thought it was crazy for there to be such a program beyond just helping Asuka because all the damage that a pilot suffers was completely nervous, and not severe enough to warrant such measures. Yesterday during dinner, however, Tristan alluded to target practice with pistols, but Shinji was certain that he didn't mean with the revolvers designed for the Evangelions. Shinji glanced down at the network of straps on his right thigh and left hip, designed to carry a sidearm and ammunition. The NEC was pulling all the stops to keep their pilots safe. Shinji wasn't sure it was as clever as they had first imagined. When Shinji was swallowed up into that sea of nothingness where he almost died, he would have given anything to have a gun so that he could end it all then there. But would a gun even fire in LCL? The liquid was designed to be a source of oxygen and a shock absorber, so unless properly designed, a mechanical device could probably not be used. Shinji decided to ask Tristan later after the test.

When Shinji had finally resolved everything in his head and relaxed, he heard the head technician finally lay down the law and get the two German pilots to behave themselves. Their roaring match dwindling down the a few off hand murmurs, Tristan and Asuka fell into step with Shinji, focusing on their synchronization.

Slow breathing, closed eyes, the only sound being the rhythmic motion of LCL through the lungs, sounding like the ocean in their inner eyes. Their conciousness slipped away from their bodies and into that of their second skin. Flowing up the thick neck, down the broad shoulders and arms, through tiny midsection and into the thighs. Smooth and cool, their minds spread out to every corner of the simulated body. Their beings become one with their machines until there was little difference between what was Shinji, Asuka, and Tristan, and what was Unit-05, 06, and 08.

Shinji felt the LCL tighten around him as the plug went deeper into the liquid surrounding it, the simulation resisting further intrusion. Much like how Unit-06 reacted, the simulation body didn't want this entity that was control it like a puppet to go deeper and tap even more of it's nerves. Much like an animal, the simulation resisted this thing that threatened its freedom. Shinji felt as though he should feel sympathy for the Evangelions, these almost living entities, but he knew that humanity required them to fight the Angels. Now however, the enemy was humanity itself. It felt wrong to use these creations, however, considering the fact that UNIT had an Evangelion and a fleet of Tridents, the NEC had no choice but to use this kind of deadly force. He felt confused, he wasn't sure what really motivated him to continue, why he fought, but the more he questioned it, the more the simulation resisted him. His focus diminishing again and so he had to continue to impose his will, enforcing his slavery over the machine. So poetic of phrase and yet…

"Pilot Sohryu, your sync ratio is too sporadic. Please focus." The technician murmured.

"I am." Asuka growled. There was a long pause. At first Shinji thought that Asuka had gotten it straight and the technicians had nothing to complain about.

"We are terminating your test, Pilot Sohryu." The statement caused both Shinji and Tristan to break their concentration.

"What? Why?"

"We are getting thought noise from the plug." Shinji took a sharp intake of breath, realizing what they were referring to. "It's probably echoes do to a manufacturing error in the plug." Shinji tried to relax himself after the scare. Tristan made an irritated grunt as he tried to settle back.

Shinji looked away also, focusing back on his sychronization. There was no way that they would find out the truth. Would they? Anxiety crept into the back of Shinji's mind. He tightened his grip on the plugs controls, trying his best to get the worst case scenario from causing him to panic.

"Pilot Ikari, you need to focus." The technician barked. Shinji gritted his teeth, trying to do as the technician asked, but it wasn't possible. It was always a difficult chore trying to concentrate, even more so when Shinji had more than one thing to worry himself. Whenever the stresses of his personal life surfaced, his sync ratio always suffered. At one time he was able to put those aside, but after Touji's injury, he just couldn't keep things thing long enough to get an effective sync ratio. He had gotten better, but it was never reflected after that day. What had been the point? His father could have just ordered the machine to act as it had, a merciless killer. Now however, the NEC didn't have that option, the dummy plugs were destroyed.

Flashes of the 'tour' Ritsuko gave of the depths of NERV. The chamber where the numerous Rei clones were. It was so overwhelming that Shinji barely even understood what the doctor was trying to tell him and Misato. Perhaps it was mean for her and not him… But why was he supposed to know all that? It was a shock to find out the truth about Rei, but why then, why him?

"What the Hell is the matter, Shinji?" Tristan growled. Shinji blinked away the memories.

"Uh. Nothing is wrong. I just…"

"Well don't excuse it. Just fix it."

"Alright. I'll try." Shinji closed his eyes and took another deep breath, forcing everything out of his mind and trying to find some point of peace. Anything to get his mind off of everything. Off of Asuka's proposed rape and pregnancy, Third Impact, and this new war between the NEC and UNIT. But it was no use. Shinji gave a defeated sigh. "It's no use."

"Are you quitting, Shinji?"

"I just can't seem to concentrate. There is no way around that fact." There was a silence.

"Cancel the test." Tristan ordered.

"No, no. You don't have to-"

"What good is getting reading on your progress if you can't concentrate. Just make sure you can sync when it counts."

"I don't you to be easy on me."

"I'm not going to be easy on you. Now eject the plugs."

"What do you mean?" Shinji felt a jolt as the plugs began to rise out of the test chamber.

"You'll find out." Came the cryptic reply. Shinji swallowed hard, as if worrying about Asuka was stressful enough, now he got Tristan angry at him.

* * *

With only a single hand, Tristan threw Shinji down into the mat, pressing his palm down on the boys chest until it began to burn from the pressure. When the captain let up, Shinji immediately grabbed at his chest and grunted.

"C'mon. Get up. I only want to hit you one the ground if I have to." Shinji rolled over onto his stomach and then to his feet. Tristan was always ready to spar and he was more than willing to mete out his aggression on his two pilots. Getting his butt whooped by the captain was apparently the punishment Shinji was to receive for forcing the test to be cancelled. "Come at me… I'd feel like a jerk if I kept knocking you down without getting to throw a punch." Shinji didn't move. "You may not like it, but it's practice, if you know how to fight in close quarters, you'll catch that UNIT Evangelion off guard for sure."

"You really don't seem to care about the person inside that EVA." Shinji murmured before raising his hands and preparing himself.

"Why do you think that? Of course I care about them." The boy moved towards Tristan and attempted a quick punch. It was caught and Shinji was thrown past the captain. A follow up kick only met air as Shinji stumbled farther away than anticipated. "I mean, to have UNIT convince them to kill other human beings… It's sickening."

"No I meant that it sounds like you want me…" Shinji paused, however, his search for a word was interrupted as Tristan charged at him. The boy sidestepped the assault and backed tracked away from the following kick. Returning to a defensive stance, Shinji regained his composure.

"You mean kill him?" Tristan asked as he once again did a reversal on one of Shinji's strikes, pushing him away. "Don't just throw weak punches. You're getting predictable."

"Sorry. But, yes, I guess that's what I mean." Shinji hesitated and tried for a kick. Tristan just knocked it away. Shinji immediately made a low sweep with his foot, but the captain remained solid. Immovable. "I never signed on to kill anyone."

"You signed on to serve the NEC." He responded before dropping his heel down onto Shinji's shoulder. The strike connected with the mat as a more agile Shinji rolled out of the way and rose back up to his feet to throw two punches. Tristan knocked away the first and ducked under the second one. From his low position he shoved Shinji backwards.

"So that means I have to kill him?"

"He's probably forced to do the same thing Shinji. We can only do what we can based on the circumstances. No doubt UNIT has pigeon-holed him to fight us. To the media he'll simply be a patriot." Tristan through a direct punch that Shinji stepped around to get behind the captain. Using the momentum of the strike however, he rolled forward and out of reach of a counter attack.

"Is the NEC media calling me a patriot?" Tristan was suprised by the question, not enough though to be caught by Shinji's tackle. Twisting away, he allowed the boy to pass by him again and face each other once more. The fight was turning into something like a bull fight rather than a sparring match.

"Actually, we have yet to even mention you as the pilot of Unit-06."

"So who are you saying is piloting it?"

"No one... That is, we have never specified a particular person. Unlike the North American branch, E-NERV respected the privacy of the pilots and didn't want their intentions or NERV's to be blown out of proportion."

"So they have told everything they could to the media."

"Yes and no. NERV Intelligence won't let everything to be spilt, but A-NERV would use what they could to declare their self impotance. Westerners were never been ones for subtlety." As if to make that point, Tristan lunged at his sparring partner with what could have been seen as a wide hook. Shinji moved out of the fist's direction, but with a twist of his body, the captain brought his arm across the boy's chest in a lariat. Shinji was slammed down hard on the mat. Shinji rolled away and back onto his feet, Tristan in the meanwhile was holding his side. "I over extended on that one."

"You don't really like North Americans do you?" Composing himself, Tristan simply shrugged.

"It isn't really personal, but their history hasn't impressed me. I mean, they think that they were masters of the Earth just because they had garnered so much wealth in ways that have damned many nations to poverty. Even after Second Impact, they weren't much better. How can you respect someone who simply counts his money while hundreds start due to his inaction. I swear the only reason that they were involved in NERV was to make themselves not look so bad, when they spend billions on weapons. Even worse when they simply turn it into a facade to conquer the world after the Angels were gone."

"The Tridents?" Tristan nodded. Shinji frowned. "That's a pretty extreme way of looking at things."

"The Angels are gone Shinji. They've mass produced Tridents, we've been competing with them with collecting the data from abandoned bases, and now they have declared war and began with a surprise attack. Why? Because we are their biggest threat. One of the 'grievances' they put on the declaration was our 'hoarding' and 'accumlation of weapons'. They were just frightened that three Evangelions were going to put a wrinkle in their plans. They never use the MAGI, they think they are geniuses on their own. No wonder the nations of the continent buckled. They were so self-absorbed and believe that they were right that they refused help from the 'old world'."

"I've never heard that much about North America to tell the truth."

"It became a spot on the immaculate history of the Second Impact generation. No one wanted to acknowledge their failure."

"But wasn't A-NERV comissioned to create some of the Evangelions?"

"A-NERV was only made out of pity and the fact that NERV assumed that they needed money... We're the saviours of the world and yet we are still needed to consider money. How short sighted people are. Thank God, no fools have spoke up yet in the NEC. They are just happy that someone is giving them food. A-NERV was nothing but a pit to lose money in. The budget suffered because of them and all they did was use the money to produced Tridents. They held back the optimization phase of the Evangelions."

"UNIT is trying to take over the world..." Shinji looked down at the mat. The very thought of it left a sour taste in Shinji's mouth, and he wasn't quite sure if Tristan was telling the truth. The young man seemed pretty biased in his views and probably hated North America from day one. Or perhpas there was something more. It had to be the captain's imagination. There was no way anyone was stupid enough to be wasting time with a war after the end of the world. After Second Impact, everyone learned the value of cooperation and the need to fight the Angels. Was it that without a common enemy, this was the fate of humanity? To kill themselves. Shinji felt abnormally tired, depression and frustration pulling his body down. He sighed.

"I guess I said too much. I guess we-" Tristan was interrupted by the chime of his cell phone. Retrieving the device from one of the benches against the wall, he gave a quick exchange then snapped it shut. "The session is over. I'll see at home."

"Where are you going?"

"The hospital." A cold shiver ran down Shinji's spine.

"W-what happened?" Tristan gave the boy a hard look.

"Go home Shinji." Quickly stuffing the rest of his uniform into a dufflebag, the captain left the room at a hustle. Shinji stood there in a daze, he felt dizzy, he felt scared. Who was in the hospital? Who had gotten hurt? The greatest possibility was Asuka again. She had been very unstable before Third Impact, could it be coming back? Or perhaps there was something wrong with her pregnancy. Her child…

Of course Shinji knew that it wasn't his child, but the amount of times Asuka had blamed it, it seemed much closer to fact every day. But it wasn't his responsibility. Why was he taking the fall? Why? The boy sank down to the mat and looked up at the ceiling.

"You're pathetic." Shinji said more to himself than the white plane above him. Those were the words that Asuka would have used. He had missed having her talk to him, even if it was just fling insults in his direction. At least that was an indication he existed… That he existed before Second Impact and wasn't just a product of Third Impact. That he wasn't this blob of existential angst. He was pathetic, always worried always moping, always suffering. It was unnerving but also reassuring when others would not play the same game he played on himself.

Asuka and Misato would always ignore the façade and shake Shinji into the real world, get him out the fog he was always in. Most people avoided him or played along. It helped to avoid getting hurt, but when his two roommates got involved in ending the game, it was 'fun'. There was a challenge. A game, that was Shinji's world. What a pathetic way to live.

Spread out upon the mat, Shinji took a deep breath and sighed. He hated it when all he had was to analyze himself. At least with his S-DAT, he could lose himself in the music and wouldn't have to deal with this. But for all he knew it was gone. Everything was gone except these few tattered fragments of humanity. Humanity was not going to recover after two apocalypses in a span of fifteen years. All he could do now was ride it out to the end. How sad, how pathetic.

"You okay?" The siloheutte of a person hung over him. He blinked.

"Uh… Yes." He mumbled.

"Are you sure?" Shinji sat up and turned to look at the visitor. Madison. He felt a sinking feeling in his stomach.

* * *

Tristan nodded and thanked the man. The physician turned and walked down the corridor. Tristan sighed and looked down at the report. Save for the doctor's signature, everyone was typed out, thankfully this would make reading and explaining everything. He turned to the door and pulled the latch. He stepped in. Asuka was quiet but the look on her face should that she was surprised at his appearance.

"What are you doing here?" She rasped. Tristan stepped to the middle of the examination room and leaned against the wall, scanning the folder. "This has nothing to do with you."

"Considering I am your superior officer and you are one of my pilots, it has everything to do with me." Asuka scowled. "I apologize." There was an echoing silence for a moment and the girl narrowed her eyes.

"What are you talking about?"

"Not believing you."

"About my rape?" Tristan glanced up at her.

"No. Your pregnancy. However, that is a complicated matter to explain."

"What?" The captain took a deep breath and looked up at Asuka.

"You weren't raped."

"What? You think I consented to it?"

"I didn't say that either."

"I- I don't follow."

"You are still… 'Serene'."

"So what? Am I the Virgin Marie now or something?" Tristan shook his head.

"You were experiencing pseudocyesis."

"Pseudo- what?"

"False pregnancy." All the blood drained from Asuka's face.

"You're lying." She breathed. Tristan shook his head. He handed her the report.

"It's all hear in black and white." The girl took the report and quickly scanned it, shaking her head in disbelief.

"This can't be right."

"You have all the hormones, but no embryo. You've fooled your body… And therefore youself."

"I can't believe this." She hung her head and closed her eyes.

"Well, that rules out you and the plug causing the echoes." She raised her head. Tristan was looking at the door, as if finding some feature of interest on it, his back still to the wall.

"Is that all you can think about?" He didn't respond. "I've been accusing Shinji of raping me… I've been faced with so many problem with having a child. For God's sake I was practically dying. And all you can think of are those fucking EVAs?"

"This isn't about EVAs. This is about a war. The Evangelions are the only thing that keeps UNITs…" Tristan's lip curled in disgust. "Those bloodthirsty mongrels from getting our civilians. From getting at the NEC, from the people I want to protect, to keep them from you." Asuka snorted, incredulous.

"That is the stupidest… What's your angle?"

"What angle?"

"Why you said you'd protect me."

"The doctor said that it will only take a hormone injection or two and it'll be fixed… An extended cramping session. But after that it will be all over."

"Don't change the subject!" She cried. Tristan turned to look at her.

"You should just take it easy. This is a lot to take in… Besides, it'll take some time to figure out where the plug echo was actually originating."

"Why did you tell me that? Why did you say you were protecting me?" Tristan took a deep breath.

"I'll go get the doctor so you can speak with him." Tristan turned and left the room.

"You bastard!" Asuka cried after him. But it fell on deaf ears. The door shut behind him. She hung her head. What a dickhead.

Outside, Tristan leaned against the wall and took another deep breath. He had said too much. What a fool he was. Why was he sounding like he wanted to get back with the bitch? Who would want the little iron soldier. The captain flinched. He was getting too emotional again. He was being stupid. He shook his violently, trying to get the nonsense out. Then taking a deep breath, the operations director returned to his senses and went to summon the doctor back to the examination room to finish speaking to Asuka. What a sap he was.

**To Be Continued…**

Author's Notes  
I became self aware of the angst in this chapter and couldn't help but laugh at how heavy I had laid it down. Even though angst is a major part of the serious, I should probably ease up on it a bit if I'm starting to get a reaction out of it.  
A lot of people who've commented on this fic have been speculating about what behind Asuka's pregnancy. Many will think this was a cop out, but the truth is, in the original frame of the series, I could not see a practical opportunity for Asuka to become pregnant. One review suggested it could have happened during her disappearance before going catatonic, I felt this was too dangerous of a wild card. Personally, this is a chain jerker like I think Hideaki Anno would 'pull'. Speculators fear not, there is still plenty of fallout to clean up before Asuka's troubles will be resolved. Until then…  
_Happy April 1st!_


	15. Resignation

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 15: Resignation  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

An overcast afternoon after rain fell. What a repulsive state for the world to be. Asuka lowered her head, resting her forehead on her knees and avoiding the grey daylight outside of her window. A day like this always caused a sinking feeling of boredom. The air was crisp with the smell of wet grass, but the humidity caused moisture to cling. You felt like you were sweating, but too much. When you came home, you felt as though you had not earned so much perspiration because you were not tired. It was so discomforting and you could never settle until you were completely dry.

Asuka hated days like this. At this point in her short life however, every day always had a reason to be hated. Twenty-four hours ago, Asuka felt the greatest sense of relief and dread she ever experienced. Like a pendulum, razor edge hanging over her head, her guilt came closer and closer to taking her sanity. She didn't want to think, she felt like she didn't even want to exist. But no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't mute the cacophony in her mind. Blaring like traffic during a Tokyo-3 evacuation, she couldn't think of anything with a clear head. She would probably have to call 'sick' from NERV, because she couldn't concentrate. Tristan wouldn't sympathize with her however. Why would he? He was probably with that idiot Shinji, ecstatic at the fact that his favourite pilot was free of any crime. Damn it.

Asuka's bare feet curled into the cool fabric of the bed. Even the small pleasures such as this meant nothing. Her mind was racing, so many things were coming back, things she had blocked out since the beginning of this whole ordeal. Of E-NERV, Tower Four, and the New European Confederation. Of Tristan and Shinji.

The girl shuddered as a fragment of a memory, when she first confronted Shinji with her accusations. She was hysterical at that time, murderous even, in fact, if it weren't for blindness, she would have killed him. She raised her left hand up to her face and closed her right eye. The doctor said that the damage to her cornea was irreversible. The blurry double vision she experience was tolerable when she could use both her eyes, but in relying on the left she lost all sense of sight. She put her hand back down on her knees.

She couldn't even stay on the same subject in her thoughts; it was all a messy train yard. She was very confused, very frustrated, and mentally lost in how her life was turning out. As a little girl, how could she ever imagine that after her mother's experiment that her life would spiral down into this torturous cycle? What a horrible life she had. Even without the apocalypse she was a victim of, hers was simply a tale of suffering from beginning to end. She was amazed that she hadn't killed herself. Damn but she would have tried given the chance. With the most recent revelation, she would have nothing to lose. There was no child.

"...To keep them from you." Asuka had heard it so clearly, even though Tristan had tried his best to muffle it. He didn't mean to say it. Was it a mistake? No, he had learned to keep his temper. But then, her pseudocyesis was probably just as large a bombshell for him as it was for her, right? After all, he had assumed that she was lying; now it was proven that he was wrong. No doubt he didn't know what to do or say. So the first thing that came to his mind was...

Asuka mentally slapped herself. Like that was the case. No doubt he was jerking her chain. To get the reaction he did. But he didn't want to confront her over the situation. It must have been a mistake that embarrassed him. He wanted to avoid humiliation. That impostor of 'Winter', little soldier boy, Tristan, was afraid. He had a crush again. Puppy-love again, the very same kind she used. The one she had every right of using on him in order to win. He was being a fool after all. Now he was becoming a fool all over again.

When they were first reunited at the NEC military base several weeks ago, he had claimed he had severed all ties with her. With a year to do so, since she left Germany, it seemed possible that he was right. He had managed to compose himself after all, become a captain at the age of fifteen. Was he fifteen? Asuka couldn't remember his birthday. But why would she? After all, what did he mean to her. Just a stepping-stone. That was what he was when he was no longer 'Winter'. But what was he when he was 'Winter'? Frightening would be one way of putting it, a fitting rival another.

During their training their synch ratios were point for point, though Asuka had shown a significant amount of improvement, starting from the ground up and catching up in a matter of a few years what took him all of his life. That was frightening. While Shinji and Asuka only took a few years in order to become Evangelion pilots, Tristan had to spend his whole life. No wonder he was such an asshole, why he was so antisocial in school, wasn't it? That he was so sheltered that he couldn't relate to other people? Or perhaps because he was such a weak person inside that he made himself as strong as possible on the outside. But why was she analyzing him so much. What did he mean to her? He meant nothing. He was no longer a threat to her. He was nothing. Nothing.

Asuka sighed with a combination of relief and satisfaction. The first train of coherent thought within 24 hours. After the cramping and the high of the hormones had diminished, she was left with only her mind to analyze. She had to be at bed rest again. She glanced down at her bandaged ankle. It was healing, but it was still going at a slow pace. It had held her back a couple of weeks in Tristan's training regime, but why would she want to participate? The 'crutch' program she was testing yesterday was going to allow her to get back into the plug and regain her previously phenomenal synch test scores. Now this. Only Tristan knew about it, and she had hoped he had kept it between them and the doctor. Shinji, even though he was now innocent didn't need to know. Asuka knew better however. Of course Shinji needed to know, after all she had claimed that not only was he the father but also the method of conception was rape. What a fool she was.

Asuka dropped backwards on the pillow and stared up at the ceiling. Again, she lifted her left hand and closed her right eye, checking her vision. From the first day after Third Impact, this was the result, Unit-02 being struck in the eye causing an immediate effect on her. A higher level of feedback and therefore a much closer connection with her Evangelion. With her mother.

She snapped her eyes shut and crushed any images of her mother that were trying to rise to the surface. She didn't need her mother. Her mother was gone; the selfish bitch had taken her own life. Asuka was never going to do that. She was never going to give that ghost the satisfaction, to have Asuka give up when she had so much to live for. But she didn't have anything to live for. No child, no career, no friends. She growled at her own weakness. She was now sounding as weak as that bastard Shinji.

Shinji was no longer a criminal however she couldn't get her hatred of the boy out of her head. He was weak, weaker than Tristan. However, he was also able to pilot an Evangelion so well that he was able to win every battle. She couldn't compare. But then, perhaps his luck was running out. She didn't have any video feeds of the battle; Tristan excused it as being information on a need-to-know basis. Apparently, she didn't 'need to know'. Regardless, what Madison had told her seemed to make it clear that Shinji was more incompetent than ever before. He had to run away from a battle, he didn't stand and fight. He fled like a scared child. How pathetic. How like him. When her synch ratio was high enough that she would be a part of operations, she would show him, she would show Tristan, she would show everyone that she had what it took. She would win.

A phantom moved through her mind, the red lipped grimace of one of the EVA series. She blinked it away. However, there was still that possibility. She had won though she had still lost. How was she to know that this same result was not going to happen again? How could she know whether or not she wasn't going to die this time? Third Impact, no matter how horrible, had been her safety net. That was now gone. If she fought, she would have to do so for all the marbles. Was she ready to put that on the line?

The phone rang. With a sigh, Asuka sat up, crossed the room and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"This is the Captain, we're preparing for an operation, and you will be required for briefing in one hour."

"What's the point? Shinji is the only one with enough plug time in order to go out on an operation." Tristan sighed on the other end.

"My Evangelion is still being completed and the synch profile for Unit-05 is set for you. We cannot change it with the 'crutch' program."

"What am I good for, though?"

"Don't give me this depressed crap, Asuka. You have an obligation, it's time to fulfill it, and I expect you to be here in an hour. Only then will you know what you are good for." He hung up and the line was silent. Asuka put down the receiver. She looked out the window. He didn't care.

Grabbing her jacket from the back of a chair in the kitchen and her shoes at the front, Asuka went out into the miserable day to journey to Tower Four.

* * *

"The Sahara, perfect place to put a weapon testing facility." Tristan commented. Septerra simply grunted in response. The command staff didn't enjoy the same level of information they had when they had been fighting a home front with the UNIT only 36 hours ago. Everyone was wary, such a small window meant that the carrier that was transporting the UNIT Evangelion and the two Trident cronies. No doubt they were lying in wait. 

"This was a very risky decision, Captain." Septerra murmured after a few moments.

"Oh ye of little faith. UNIT won't be so bold to try another frontal attack after coming across our defences. We know their best weapon is somewhere along the Atlantic coast. Because we are aware, they won't attack."

"It's feasible. But what happens if we underestimated them?"

"Then Asuka is our last hope."

"I don't like it. Even though she was able to-"

"Exactly." Tristan responded with a sound annoyance, interrupting the sub-commander before he could remind Tristan of why he was an operations director. "If it comes down to it, this will be the day she proves herself."

"The Confederation entire existence rests on this decision."

"So is what Shinji is doing. We have to deny UNIT any other chance to get stronger. We do by taking all the NERV bases we can and salvaging what's inside." Tristan brought up his microphone. "You doing alright, Shinji?"

"Yes. And I know how to disembark from a transport plane, don't worry."

"I wasn't about to ask you. You do it so often anyway."

"Could you please stop with the banter?" Asuka interjected. Tristan chuckled.

"Sorry to leave you out."

"Just shut up." She growled.

"Okay, I'll go over what is going on."

"I don't see why, we already know what we're doing." Asuka argued.

"I have to agree." Shinji added. "I just bully UNIT into leaving. Asuka-"

"I stay and protect the NEC's scrawny ass in case UNIT goes to bite it. I know my orders and I don't need some review from either of you two. So just shut up and let's get this over with."

"Morale seems high." Came Septerra's sarcasm, eyeing Tristan. The captain didn't respond, watching the synch graphs, looking up at the map of the operations area. A few cameras mounted on vehicles cave a view of the stretch of arid lands stretching out before the soldiers there. Three months and already their sphere of influence had enveloped Saudi Arabia. Now a network of fortified resource bases, it was the gateway to the east and south for the fledgling nation.

Approaching the landing zone, Shinji heard the chirp and a small read out displayed the count down to launch. A computer timed drop, and not one based upon gut instinct. The captain had become took tired to quickly of the very same command Misato had loved doing. Shinji felt the momentum of the releasing mechanisms bull him up and back into his seat, as the darkness of the transport jet gave way to blue sky, and golden earth, which rushed to greet him.

The teeth rattling crash and the strain upon his arms signalled landing. He was a black shadow upon the sand. The fall was exhilarating and his heart was still pound. Thoughts simplified as the Evangelion's body wrapped around him, and his awareness expanded. Unit-06 rose up and glanced around. Spying a plug on a concrete base a few acres away, the massive titan stepped over and immediately attached it. The power indicator chirped happily, showing the digits presenting indefinite power. Not having to fear running out of power, Shinji took a moment to take stock of the situation.

The command centre for the support teams was a series of trailers connected with open spaces covered by a tent. The small compound was five feet below the actual ground, entrenched, a tactic that seemed to make perfect sense based on how little cover there was out here. Three gun emplacements and a collection of large generators was surrounding the compound. The three guns, artillery, were silent but Shinji knew that they were the main weapons to be brought to bear on UNIT; he was the ultimate defensive measure. Shinji looked back to the desert spanning southeast. Somewhere out there was the NERV Weapon Testing Facility and the UNIT forward base. Shinji blinked, as a thought came to him.

In the span of three months, Shinji was seeing the world. China, Germany, and now the Sahara. It was a dumb-founding realization, but even more amazing was just how long it took him to come upon this realization. This place that he was admiring through the HUD of his Evangelion was a place he had only read and heard about. Before reaching Tokyo-3 his life was normal, but now, it was so exciting, but equally, it was very painful.

Shinji never had much time to gain intimate knowledge about adventures of other people; he didn't care much for watching television, often having to worry about his grades. Many heroes had to face hardships on the way. Did that make him a hero? The kids in Tokyo-3 regarded him as such soon after his success at defeating the Third Angel, however, it only took a little while before Shinji was forgotten. It stopped become a mark of recognition in the eyes of his peers to pilot the Evangelions, but rather his job. As soon as Asuka came, they were a buzz of activity again, only to return to normalcy once the novelty was lost. Shinji remembered finding half of the garbage in the shoe locker room full of love letters to Asuka. It was ironic how many people fawned for Asuka while he, Touji, and Kensuke knew the truth, but at the same time, his two only friends were obsessed with his guardian Misato, but knew little about her. Shinji sighed, early on, Tokyo-3 had been awkward and inviting, but it eventually became his person Hell. He would have liked things to have stayed the way they were before everything had turned out so wrong, when he was still innocent, and the Angels were simply the enemy.

Shinji took a sharp intake of breath and grabbed his forehead, images of Koaru again tried to come up to the surface and he violently forced them back into his subconscious.

"You're getting quiet, again." Tristan commented.

"S-sorry. It's my first time seeing the Sahara... Well, any desert for that matter... All I can say is... Wow." There was a momentary pause, the lag between his message getting to Tower Four and the response getting back.

"Figures."

"'Wow'? Is that all you can say?" Asuka barked.

"I though you weren't going to get involved?"

"Well how can I if he's being such an idiot?"

"Stop acted like a bloated-"

"What? A bloated wha-" Tristan sighed.

"Sorry. Moving on. This is a defensive mission for you. Simply sit tight and take out the enemy as they approach. You will be provided with a rifle, should down the enemy if they start getting close. Lieutenant Sai was sent in my stead, he will be the primary director of the operation, so listen carefully to what he has to say." Shinji nodded.

"Roger." There was a crackle as another communication channel linked up to Unit-06.

"This is Lieutenant Sai, Pilot Ikari, can you read me? Over."

"Uhm... This is Pilot Ikari. Reading you. Over?"

"Captain Nevril has already given you your assignment; I'm only here to keep you posted on the latest local reports. That is, what our artillery and recon have to report that you need to know. Get yourself armed and ready, the artillery strike will commence in two minutes. Over."

"Roger." Shinji forgot to end to signal the end of the exchange, however, it was quickly assumed. A waypoint came onto his display pointing to where his weaponry was, the generator, and the optimum places that he was to attack from. Shinji moved a brisk pace, his EVA seeming to understand the urgency as it picked up the rifle with no fuss and crouched down in a firing position.

The sound of the howitzers firing was something akin to hear something soft and heavy hit the ground. Like falling into bed. Shinji knew however, that he didn't want to be where these bodies were falling. A twinge of regret snaked through Shinji as he realized that people where going to be injured and killed. And here was abiding by it. However, he wasn't seeing it happen. It wasn't his fault; after all, the NEC was doing this for the good of the human race. A second volley was fire. Then a third. Each of which caused Shinji's brow to knit tighter and tighter. Was this the right thing to do? Not even fifteen years and humanity was back to where it started, killing each other. And here he was, doing nothing about it. Why?

"Heads up." Shinji blinked and looked around. "Radar spotted two Tridents headed our way. Get ready to intercept them." Unit-06 stood up and moved forward in front of the main guns, his rifle ready. On the horizon, he saw two dark shapes.

"Expanding my AT field now." Why was he doing this? His HUD formed two red targeting reticules, recognizing them both as Tridents. The battle at the coast was still fresh in his mind, the people there, they weren't soldiers, and they were people who wanted to do their best to help fight an Angel. They wanted to protect humanity. Shinji could still remember the young woman smiling up at him and his EVA before everything went to Hell. She saw EVA as the tool for a better world, and even though she was risking her life, she wanted to ensure that the Angels were defeated, and that was very encouraging. The missiles from the two harriers killed her and everyone else at the staging area. That was why he fought, because these people, if they could be called that, were only thinking of themselves and not what humanity was striving for after Second Impact. They were no better than the Angels. They were the enemy.

Shinji glared at the two targets and his lip curled into a sneer. He pulled the trigger. Glowing tracers arced through the sky, and he watched as the reticule wavered as one of the Trident's was subjected to the barrage. It lagged behind its mate, which immediately sped up to close the distance. Shinji regarded it with disdain, turning his rifle towards it and firing a burst. A blast of sand, and the target veered around the blast. Shinji swept his next burst around the general area of the Trident, and without a place to go, the Trident sailed right into the barrage.

Flashes of light called Shinji's attention to the first of the Tridents, which had already opened fire. The blasts were nothing but swats to his AT field. Turning away from his last target, he trained his rifle and fired another sweeping burst, the Trident dried to dodge, but only took the attack to it's broad side. Two more burst found themselves in the Trident's side.

"Watch your flank!" Sai barked. Shinji quickly snapped around to find the second Trident directly behind him and facing towards his umbilical cable. The Trident fired and Unit-06 jumped away from the Trident, causing his cable to be jerked away at the last minute. Shinji fired again, watching armour peel off of the Trident, and causing it to reel away.  
Shinji gave a snarl as he snapped around to the first Trident again and fired a burst, however, the machine strafed around it, its powerful jets blasting sand and rocks everywhere. To Shinji's side, he heard the jet engine roared and looked to see the second Trident charging towards him. He raised his and pulled the trigger. The click of an empty chamber caught the young pilot off guard.

The Trident slammed into him, causing him to stumble, however, the majority of it was absorbed by the radiating hexes of light. His AT field thwarting the brutal attack. Winding up, Shinji slammed the gun against the serpentine head of the Trident, watching the weapon shatter. Not missing a moment, he deployed a progressive knife and took a swipe at his foe, managing to score a hit and see parts explode off of the head of the machine. A second explosion caused him to jumped back as the ammo in the head's gun turret exploded. The severely damaged Trident flew backwards, deploying its legs to stop from coasting around with the dead weight of the head.

"Flank! Flank!" Sai screamed. Shinji cursed, having forgotten his other foe. The other Trident had already gotten some distance and was facing the generator feeding his Evangelion. Something on the hump of the mechanical monster's back burst open, followed by the twirling lines of smoke from a volley of rockets. The generator collapsed in only a few moments. Shinji was already charging towards his foe, roaring by the time his HUD screamed to warn him he only had five minute of power left.  
Shinji slammed down on top of the Trident as it turned to face him. The stabilizer jets struggled to compensate for the extra weight, causing a cloud of sand to swirl around Unit-06 and it's foe. Shinji drove the knife down into the back of the machine, causing a clean cut save for the sparks that belched out of the wound as he sunk it deeper. The Trident gave into his weight before bucking him off, having deployed its legs. Shinji stumbled back, having lost hold of his knife. Now rid of the problem, the Trident brought its legs back underneath its body and charged at Shinji. Ejecting his cord plug, Unit-06 jumped out of the way.  
Shinji watched as the charging Trident missed him and suddenly go out of control, flipping and spinning before landing in the sand. Shinji didn't have time to analyze it any further as Sai came back on the channel.

"The other one is aiming for the guns!" Shinji looked over and saw the wounded Trident turn in the general direction of the compound. With another holler, Shinji tackled it, getting his arms under it and heaving upwards. The jolt was enough to halt the pilot from firing any missiles. Twisting around and getting one of his shoulder blades under the Trident's shoulder joint, he triggered the flak launchers in the armour. Two blasts of six black shards of metal slammed into the under side of the Trident, finally knocking it onto it's back. Deploying the second progressive knife, Shinji swiped the blade down the belly of the beast and second cross slash caused the machine to stop moving.

A second shrill cry from his machine warned him he had less than a minute left. Snapping around, he saw his final foe facing him, legs deployed. It's gun twitching and sparking. Damaged? This was his last chance. With a scream that he knew he would feel for more than a week, Shinji charged once more to leap on his target. The Trident twisted away, only make it's hump vulnerable. The progressive knife dug in. The explosion was enough to throw the EVA backwards and twisting, fell onto it's front. Shinji's display was glowing red from the fire as the final second ticked way and everything went black.  
Two minutes later, Tristan leaned forward to get support, as the final pieces of footage from the battle came in. He and the rest of those there to witness were amazed. In the span of five minutes he was able to destroy two Tridents. The captain closed his mouth and grinned. He turned to Septerra.

"I think we underestimated Shinji's capabilities." Septerra frowned and then looked up at the screen. On another camera they could see tanks and troop carriers leaving the compound and dashing towards the Weapon's Facility as the last artillery shell was fired. Tristan lifted his headset. "Phase one complete. Good work." He then put down the headset.

* * *

"Stop right there, Third Child." Shinji halted and slowly turned around. He was exhausted, even with a solid eight hours of sleep on a transport plane; he was still tired after the flight and the debriefing. He didn't need Asuka's opinion on anything. She had her head lower though and her arms to her sides. He frowned, this wasn't like her. 

"What is it?" He asked in a low voice.

"I saw you fight today."

"Oh... Sorry."

"Stop saying that, damn it. I hate it."

"Sor-"

"No!" She took a deep breath. "I'm the one who's sorry." Shinji sighed, waiting for the punch line. He looked at her more  
carefully when he realized it wasn't coming. "I don't want to hear you say sorry or any such crap. You don't mean it. You never mean it. You always think that it fixes everything, but it doesn't help me one damn bit. All it does is show how little you care.""I... Uh..." Asuka raised her head and Shinji saw raw anger on her face, which also had lines of exhaustion. She stayed up all night to confront him.

"You're going to listen, Third Child, and you're going to listen well, 'cause I know this is what you want to hear. I..." Shinji held his breath. "I..." Asuka swallowed hard. "I can't compete with you!" She blurted out, the boy blinked, surprised and confounded. "Everything you do just hurts me and kills another part of me. Just being around you brings me closer to dying." She took a breath. "But now I know that it wasn't because you were the problem." Her hands and teeth clenched as she prepared to force out another forceful truth. "I was wrong about everything. I'm always wrong!

"Everything that I have done, when I compare it to you, is just so wrong. Yeah, I got through college, but I'm still just a stupid kid. I didn't even check myself to think whether or not he was right. I was still a virgin and I still am. But I couldn't admit it. Tristan had to cow me over to a doctor and he had to tell me himself, to be face that I was wrong."

"W-what?" Asuka took another deep breath.

"There is no baby." She whispered. Asuka sniffled and gave a cough, clearing her throat. "I wasn't pregnant. I just thought I was and fooled my body into acting like I was. You probably want to know why, right? Well I don't know. It was my choice as far as I see it. But then, I know it's my fault. All the bad things that have been happening can be blamed on me. I'm the one at fault for everything, not you!

"I don't belong here. I don't deserve the title of the Second Child. I don't belong in NERV or on this planet for that matter. This is it Shinji, you beat me and I lost. You're the better pilot and you always will be, there is no way I will ever be able to compare to you anymore. You're not just the better pilot, thought; you're also the better human being. I don't deserve to pilot EVA or live after seeing the way you fought today. I'm going to quit NERV, and I don't care what you or anyone else has to say about the matter. I've had enough of it. I don't ever want to see you again, Third Child. Nor do I want to see Tristan or Madison. Goodbye idiot." She turned away. "And don't you dare say anything to me, I'm not worth it!" She cried and ran off. Before Shinji could react and call out her name, Asuka was out of sight and out of earshot.

It had all happened so quickly and without warning that he barely even realized what she had said. She was going to leave NERV? What had she about the pregnancy, it didn't happen? Shinji gave a frail groan and closed his eyes. His thoughts were slothful and disorganized. No doubt she was just having another fit. He turned away with a sigh and continued to drag himself out of the door. Perhaps he could look at it afresh in the morning.

* * *

"You felt pretty useless didn't you?" A pause. The captain smiled. "And all you could was scream at him. Well at least it made him keep stock of what was going on. But then what could you do? He was doing so well on his own." Another pause. He laughed. "No, that I didn't train, but I must admit he was thinking on his feet and he was rather nimble, despite all the extra equipment. In fact, I'd say that was time well spent optimizing the Evangelions with that payload layout." Yet another pause. Tristan sat up in his seat and changed the phone receiver to the other side of his head. "Well that's icing on the cake, however, it would be best we leave the military deal with that, we just need you to supervise the salvage at the weapons facility. That reminds me, has anything on the Tridents been salvageable? No? I suppose we might as well count our blessing that he was unarmed... Yes, sidearm training will start next week, and I've already chosen just the right weapon for them..." 

Tristan pulled a black pistol from a desk drawer, admiring it in the limited light from his desk lamp and the light of his computer monitor. "Water-proof? Of course not, what with the mental state of the pilots, Septerra and I both agreed that we didn't want to give them something to tempt them with suicide... Yes, Septerra and I are agreeing on something for once, but don't expect it to be trend... Good hunting, Lieutenant."

Tristan hung up and sighed, resting his head in his hands. He wanted to sleep for a week, staying up for only a few extra hours really messed him up. At least the operation was finally over and he could get some sleep. That was until a knock came on his door.

"Enter." He announced as he slipped the pistol back into the door, hearing it lock as the door opened and an exhausted girl shambled in. "Pilot Sohryu." Wordlessly, she entered and shut the door behind herself, leaning against the doorframe. He knitted his fingers and gave a wry grin. "My, you seem chipper today."

"I've been waiting her since you called."

"Your part of the operation ended eight hours ago. You should have gone home and got some rest."

"I wanted to speak to Shinji."

"He just left home. To sleep. Like you should."

"I ran into him before he got out the doors..."

"And?"

"I came here to resign from NERV."

"Excuse me?"

"I'm quitting." He frowned.

"That's not something to-" He paused. "Why?"

"Are you blind Tristan, Shinji showed me up when he was able to defeat both of those Tridents in less than five minutes. How can I compete with that?"

"Why do you think you have to compete with him?"

"Because... Because I have to be the best!" Tristan leaned back in his chair and thought for a moment. "Sit down."

"I'm fine."

"Sit down." He repeated. Heaving an exasperated sigh, she came and sat down in the chair across from him. "You still play the violin."

"What?"

"Are you deaf? Do you still play the violin?"

"Not for about three months."

"Why did you first start playing the violin?"

"I- uh..." Asuka shook her head, no words came to her. "It was... Something to keep things off my mind when I was overworked or frustrated. It was easy enough that I could work on it when nothing else was coming to me."

"You played very well a year ago."

"What?"

"I'm sure that if you were not so focused on improving your synch ratio and studies you could have become a professional musician."

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"Based upon your logic, there is no way you should even bother considering taking your passion for the violin and becoming a professional."

"What?"

"Why play the piano if Beethoven was able to write the Ninth Symphony, the song that symbolized all humanity? He was deaf! He was superior to any of the posers that came through concert halls and being hailed as masters of the piano. They shouldn't be there because Ludwig van reached the apex of piano composition. Why should they bother, they can't compete! It's because that doesn't matter. I can't believe the self-hating bullshit that is flung by you two pilots. God forbid that NERV just put your out of your misery you piss and moan so much." Asuka jumped from her seat.

"You fling twice as much as the two of us combined! What about that 'I'll protect you' shit?" Tristan grunted, he should have expected that. He took a breath.

"It was a mistake. A slip of the tongue. I regret saying it, much like I regret what I say a year ago. It meant nothing. But this isn't about me, this is about your resignation." Sohryu gave an irritated snort and sat down. "Now then. Being a musician isn't supposed to be competetive, it is a creative outlet, and it doesn't matter whether someone can use it to put food on the table or simply calm them down, everyone can still do it. Piloting the Evangelions is no different. You're not competing with anyone anymore when you enter that entry plug. It's only us against them; there is nothing that has to do with being better. We all have our roles and how well each of us can accomplish our assignments has little bearing on anyone else outside of an operation. We can't afford another pilot, and your spot isn't threatened so long as there are no pilots who can do better than you."

"But-" Tristan slammed a hand on the desk, grabbed his cellphone, pressed a key and slid it across the desk. She took it and looked at the numbers punched on the face.

"That is the number for your termination code. Don't ask why or how, but as soon as you hit send, that goes to the central computers and all your records are deleted. Nothing will be saved and you will disappear from NERV's consciousness forever. J-NERV gave Shinji a second chance, but I will not give anyone under my command that kind of privilege. When that code is sent you will be dead to NERV, and no one will mourn. If piloting the EVA is so important that you are going to give it up, then press that button and show me that you were nothing but a waste of time." Asuka picked up the cell phone and rose from her seat, glaring down at the numbers. She grimaced and her thumb hovered over the send button. Tristan watched her intently. She trembled, she tried with her other thumb, but all her fingers were paralysed. She struggle for a long moment, he could hear air come in and out of her lungs from gritting teeth. Finally she slapped the cell phone down the desk and tried to support herself on her arms, her head hanging down and staring at the phone. She shuddered.

"I can't." Asuka rasped. Tristan slowly rose from his chair and came around the desk. He gently took Asuka's shoulder and turned her to face him. She raised her head and looked at him.

"If you want to continue piloting, you will have to put everyone and everything behind you. You just have to let everything go, every piece of emotional baggage and get it in gear. I failed to become Unit-02's designated pilot not because you hurt me, but because I allowed that hurt to reflect in my piloting. That was the first time it happened and I will always have to deal with that mistake of mine for a long time. Let it all go now, and you will be able to get back in the saddle and pilot an Evangelion again. Unbridle your emotions and let nothing hold you back." Asuka lowered her head and pulled away from his touch. "Asuka, I-"  
A white, stinging pain shot through Tristan's mind, and the impact caused him to almost fall backward. He opened his eyes and felt his cheek continuing to throb.

"Don't... Don't ever touch me again, Tristan." The captain stood up and saw Asuka with her back to him again. "This is what always pisses me off. You act like such a jackass and the turn around and try to be nice to me. Why do you keep doing that? None of this makes sense."

"It was-"

"A mistake? For once actually take responsibility for your own actions, captain. I know you better than to just run your mouth like I would. What you said at the doctor's office was real. You wouldn't just say that unless there was a reason. Stop toying with me and tell me the truth!"

"And what if I lie?"

"Then I will send in the termination code. Because I'll nothing else left here at NERV." She raised her head against, and despite the tears on the horizon, Tristan knew she would make good on her word. The captain collected himself and spoke.

"I spend my entire life to pull off synch ratios you could break in a day, and here you are wanting to quit. Is my job so simple that people come and go as they please while I slog through the trenches? I admire Shinji's strength, but I despise his weakness, and her you are acting just like he would. You being here and telling me you want out is more painful than if you stuck me like a pig!" The captain took a breath. "But it isn't the fact that you want to quit that hurts the most. When Shinji is depressed, I can straighten him out, cause it's all about his guts. As for you... You used my feelings for you to get Unit-02. But now Unit-02 is gone. I want to hate you for fooling me, but... At the same time I hate seeing you despair. Seeing you this close to giving up... I would straighten you out like Shinji but-"

"Straighten me out like him." Tristan looked up and Asuka turned around, looking calmer. "No teasing or jokes, just give it to me straight. I don't want you to go easy on me because you are my captain, and I hate your guts. Don't try and use logic or analogies in order to try and make me change my mind, I know better. Don't act weak when I know you are better than that, it pisses me off, because you're not Shinji. Just be the captain when I get out of line."

"And what about when we're not working?" She closed her eyes.

"Then..." She opened her eyes. "Then just be yourself." He nodded slowly. Stepping over to his desk he turned off his cell phone and computer. Tristan glanced at his watch.

"It's really late. You want me to take you home?"

"Okay." She answered.

* * *

"I- I'm home." Shinji announced after stepping across the threshold. A pair of little green eyes and red brows looked over the top of the couch curiously, the flightless avian sparing a minute of late-night television to see whom it was. Pen-Pen immediately scrambled off the furniture and out of sight. Shinji watched the little bird go before glancing around the dark apartment again. Heading down the hall, Shinji stopped in front of Tristan's door, he hesitated and rather than knocking, pressed his ear to the door. No sound. Was Tristan really a sound sleeper? 

The boy returned to the living room, wondering where the captain was. The meeting was an hour ago and even though he said he still had some business to do, Tristan had a car. Shinji felt something on his foot and found Pen-Pen staring up at him, his empty bowl having been dropped on Shinji's foot. He hadn't been fed yet, and the captain would have at least given him some tuna before going to bed. Picking up the bowl, Shinji entered the kitchen, followed by the bird. Tristan was nowhere to be seen. Looked like there was more work than he had said. The boy glanced at the time on the stove, he had plenty of sleep, and perhaps he would stay up and give the captain a nightcap before both of them hit the hay. This was an eventful day.

Dumping a can of tuna into Pen-Pen's bowl, Shinji went and sat down on the couch. He could heard the bowl sliding around the kitchen floor, even though the bird didn't find canned tuna enjoyable, he was hungry enough to have it anyway. The television was set on a station showing a German TV show, know doubt a rerun. Even though it was in the middle of the program, Shinji got a general idea what was going on, and it was probably why Pen-Pen was watching it. Why would a warm-water penguin be interested in television anyway?

The little bird, having finished his meal, clamoured back onto the couch and sat next to Shinji, glancing up at him before going back to watching his show. As one show ended and another began, the penguin would flip between channels, obviously already developing a routine and an idea what to watch and what not to watch.

"So this is what you do all day?" Pen-Pen answered with a lazy squawk. Shinji sighed and stayed up with the bird, watching the Penguin's program choices and trying to figure out the plots to the shows with the ongoing plots as they went. Eventually, the two dozed off soon before the station also signed off for the night.

When Shinji awoke in the morning, Tristan was nowhere to be found and the apartment was untouched.

To Be Continued...

Author's Notes  
_PRE Fun Fact:_ Most of this chapter's dialogue was written on post-it notes during my lunch breaks at work.  
Not much to say about the majority of the fic, save for the last line. Asuka + Shinji fans please don't lynch me; it's not what you think! 


	16. Ungainly

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 16: Ungainly  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

"What the Hell do you want?" Asuka growled, the boy remained silent. "Just tell me and get it over with." Silence. "Now you're just pissing me off. Why are you always following me?" He didn't answer, watching some people pass by, talking loudly. "Hey! I'm talking to you."

"I am aware of it. However, there are so many things I want to know about you however, I am unsure of what to say to actually have you listen and speak with me."

"What's that supposed to mean? Is that some kind of come on?"

"No. You are offended by what I said?"

"What?"

"My wish to know more about you, Second Child. It offends you? You are the Second Child, am I right?"

"God, you're just as weird as Wonder Girl." The boy tilted his head to the side, but still looked amused.

"'Wonder Girl', you refer to a female counter part who you think stands out because of positive qualities. You admire her?"

"Of course not! Sure she stands out, but it's not in a good way."

"Then why do you use a word of admiration to speak of someone that you find distasteful in what they lack? Or perhaps, it's because they  
have something that you lack."

"You looking to lose your front teeth, ass hole?" She snarled.

"Why would looking for something cause me to lose my front teeth? And since a rectum does not need to chew, why would it have teeth to begin with?" Asuka turned away; he was being a witty little pest.

"Just leave me alone."

"Everyone is alone. No matter how many people you have around you, you are fundamentally alone."

"Yeah, yeah, I don't need your angst, kid."

"You try and fill up the emptiness you feel by piloting the Evangelion, isn't that right?" She stopped and turned to face him. She squinted her eyes, analyzing him. This creepy transfer student had shown up to her school less than a couple of hours ago and he knew this much. Either she had to commend the gossip hotline, or he was here in this war zone for a reason.

"Who are you?" His smile widened and he gave a curt bow of his head.

"I am Koaru. Koaru Nagisa. You are Asuka Langley Sohryu, the Second Child, and pilot of Evangelion Unit-02."

"How do you know all that?"

"I know everything about you, Miss Sohryu, and as much as I can about the First and Third Child as well."

"What are you, some kind of fan boy?" He shrugged, always with that strange smile on his face.

"You might be able to call me that."

"Fine, I'm leaving."

"Where? May I come along?"

"No! Not with you! I just want to stay away from you!" She ran, hoping to escape him.

Leaving the school, Asuka realized that the strange boy, Koaru, had delayed her so much that it was already dark out. What was it that Shinji had warned her about him? Was he the one that was supposed to replace her? What a preposterous notion.

Even the darkness, she knew the cobblestone streets for a good portion of her life. This older part of Berlin was never going to change, unlike the booming section around the E-NERV headquarters. Asuka knew a shortcut home across an old train yard. Climbing a chain-link fence, Asuka landed in the dusty gravel and knee-deep mist. There was no life in Berlin anymore, the only ambiance of the city coming from the distance streets and lights of the new city. There was so much history, and it was thrown away for novelty, how pitiful.

In the distance she could hear someone talking. Curious, she approached. Four figures surrounded three others, the second group of which were kneeling and looking at one of the persons standing. She approached and saw burlap bags were on the heads of those who knelt, and black military uniforms signified that their captors were soldiers, and not the kind that Asuka wanted to bother. Each wore a red beret, the fourth of their posse stood to one side, in a black robe. Stepping behind a receiving platform, the red head watched as events unfolded. One of the soldiers was speaking a prayer in German, wishing that God would accept these pitiful souls and take them to their place of belonging. He was resting the length of a pistol's barrel on his forehead as he spoke.

Once he was finished, he lowered the weapon and shot the first captive in the head. Asuka closed her eyes as the person fell back. Peeking one eye open, she watched as the second prisoner was also executed. She bit her lip as she saw the final prisoner practically trembling. The executioner touched the doomed man's shoulder and spoke some words of comfort, before pressing the muzzle against the burlap and firing. Putting the pistol back in his holster, the killer regarded his comrades in sombre silence. A quiet tone that was betrayed with a ruckus coming from Asuka's direction.

Asuka realized only too late that she had knocked over a pile of rusty pipes. The soldiers were staring directly at her. She turned to flee, but slammed directly into one of them, having materialized right behind her. She was shoved backwards into the arms of the other two thugs and her arms were pressed against her back. She tried to scream, but a gloved hand clasped her mouth and maintained a rigid hold, no matter how hard Asuka tried to break free. "Hush, we're not going to hurt you." Seeing her struggling wasn't doing any good, she stopped and looked up at her captors. Her eyes widened with shock as Tristan looked down at her, he gave her a kind smile, which calmed her. However, she continued to be wary. Releasing her mouth and brushing her cheek with the back of his hand. "I'm sorry you had to see that."

"Why? Who were they?" She asked. The grip of the two soldiers tightened and she squirmed in discomfort, Tristan didn't seem to notice. He patted her cheek.

"Don't worry about them, my dear, it was just something I had to do." The man in black robes finally stepped up behind Tristan and the expression on the captain's face darkened. His hand slid down from Asuka's cheek and his fingers snaked around her neck. She swallowed hard and glanced at the faces of the others present, and her blood ran cold. The soldiers holding her down had blank expressions on their faces from the crimson eyes of the fan boy, Koaru, and Wonder Girl, Rei, spoke volumes about the torturous event that was about to occur. "And this is also something I have to do." Tristan drew closer but Asuka was now staring at the robed figure.

Shinji stared back at her.

* * *

Asuka's eyes snapped open and she blinked, the image of the robed Shinji fading to become Misato's jacket hanging innocently on the chair in the room. Her room. Hamburg, not Berlin. Her hand immediately went to her neck. No leather hand gripped it. The whole occurrence, that train yard execution and what the evil captain had in mind was simply a nightmare. She closed her eyes and let out a long sigh before sitting up. Only half-awake, Asuka frowned as she tried to remember what important things she had to do today and what had happened yesterday. It was all a fog, however, the nagging sense of purpose was forcing her from simply going back to bed and sleeping the day away.

Swinging her feet out of bed, she noticed that she was still wearing the slacks and shirt she had worn yesterday. Apparently she was so exhausted from... What was she doing? It would probably all come back to her after a shower. Getting up she entered the hall and stopped, something drawing her to the living room.

Curled up on the couch, arm as a pillow and jacket as a blanket, Tristan snored softly on Asuka's couch. At first she frowned, why the Hell was he here and not at home? Slowly, memories of last night came back to her. At least as many as she could recall. Silently, she left the living room and entered the kitchen. In a few moments she returned.

Even with a small amount of water, when it was cold enough, could shock most out of sleep. At least this was the case with Tristan. With a cry, he threw his body off of the couch and out of his dreams, crashing to the floor. Quickly shaking the spinning world away, he looked up to see Asuka practically towering over him with a half-filled glass of water.

"Oops." She declared dryly.

"A simple shaking of the shoulder would have sufficed." Tristan grumbled, climbing to his feet.

"Whether it was enough isn't the problem. Why were you asleep on my couch?" The captain looked down at the sofa and towards the hall.

"I admit your bed would have been more comfortable. But that wouldn't be very gen-" He stopped as the rest of the water was thrown from the glass and onto his front. He stumbled back a few paces from the cold shock and then relaxed. "Yeah I deserved that."

"You deserve to get tossed out off the roof!"

"Okay, I ended up crashing on your couch. Why are you so offended by that? It was late and I had driven you home."

"That's not the point."

"Then what is?"

"It's j- just... What is Shinji going to think if you aren't home?" He shrugged.

"I worked all night? You make it sound like he was my wife and I was cheating on him."

"And what does that make me?"

"All right, bad example. Look, he won't think anything of it. Whenever I dropped by, I told him it was a meeting."

"A meeting? He must think you're a workaholic."

"Better than him thinking that you couldn't even live on your own without dying of starvation."

"I can cook!"

"Yeah, after I started showing you. Ramen every day of the week isn't healthy. I'm amazed you weren't skin and bones over in Japan."

"You have a problem with Japanese cuisine? I am sure Shinji would love to hear what you think."

"I didn't mean it like that! Okay, he is just going to think that I worked over the whole night. He doesn't know I'm here, he doesn't know  
that I've been cooking for you. He is still very naive. There is nothing to worry about." Asuka didn't respond and Tristan believed he had satisfied her. He sighed. "Why are you so angry this morning?"

"I'm not angry." She snapped. From the look Tristan was giving her, Asuka realized she probably was. She growled at herself and placed her free hand on her forehead, this was getting frustrating.

"You want me to leave? Or would like some breakfast before that?" She frowned at him. "Shinji can take care of himself." He assured her.

"I'm not worried about Shinji anymore. But what's with all this hospitality?"

"I'll tell you right after you tell me why you're so hostile."

"Look, forget it. Stay or go. I don't care. Just..." Asuka put the glass down on the couch and went back into the hall. Tristan picked it up,  
studying it and then looking in the direction that Asuka went. He carried the glass into the kitchen and starting working on making a meal  
for the two of them.

The strange arrangement had started soon after Asuka was settled into her apartment. Tristan, out of impulse had decided to check up on her and found her living more sloppily than most bachelors out of high school do. Just like deciding to visit, Tristan decided to cook for Asuka on impulse, just like she had said Shinji had back in Japan. In the end it became a routine to drop by every couple of days and teach her to cook, after all, he didn't intend to always be there to provide for her, after all, she was practically an adult and should have known how to keep herself.

What he was doing felt extremely strange after Asuka accidentally called him Shinji. After she had done so, Tristan had been taken by guilt. Not only had he been lying to Shinji for almost a month, but due to the circumstances between Asuka and Shinji, perhaps he was also taking advantage of it. But then, was there really a relationship between Shinji and Asuka, or even anything between him and Asuka? Apparently, she didn't find what he had said last night very seriously, even though he knew full well that he was saying the truth. Perhaps she simply misinterpreted it, or that she wasn't interested. But who could blame her? He was a stepping-stone and why would she feel guilt over that?

The sound of running water made Tristan stop and look down the hall. Asuka was having a shower when he was still in the same building? What did that mean? He shook his head; he was over analyzing things more than Shinji ever did. She had every right to have a shower, and so long as he didn't try anything, she was probably fine with him. Perhaps she had just gotten used to having him around the apartment.  
Ten minutes later, Asuka came into the kitchen in fresh clothes, towelling out her copper hair.

"So you decided to stick around?" Tristan glanced over his should, not wanting to turn his back from his project on the oven. Curious Asuka scanned different bowls and ingredients he had on the counter. "What are you making anyway?"

"Griddle cakes... Cup of flour, milk, two teaspoons of powder, one teaspoon melted butter, and an egg."

"Don't you need syrup for that?"

"Jams, jelly, fruit, butter... You can put anything on them and they still taste good... Honey."

"What?" Tristan looked up at her and blinked.

"Honey. You can put honey on griddle cakes."

"Okay." There was a tinge of uncertainty in her voice, however she didn't seem to chase it. Tristan turned back to his cooking.

"You just pour another bit of batter into the frying pan and flip when the batter starts bubbling. That way both sides come out golden brown." Even though he managed to save himself, his body was still tense after making such a stupid slip. Although Asuka always thought everything he said was deliberate whenever she was around, he made mistakes, said things when he didn't. Tristan didn't know whether his mistakes were from his old infatuation with the Second Child, or if it was his anger either at himself or her that made him make such errors. But each time he only made things more difficult.

Removing one finished cake, Tristan stepped away from the frying pan.

"Now you try it." Asuka immediately took over and poured another one, carefully pouring the batter into the pan. She flipped it when he directed her to.

"This is easy." A buzzer sounded, signalling that Asuka had a visitor.

"You keep practicing, I'll see who it is."

"Yeah, yeah." Tristan stopped at the doorway and watched as Asuka poured in some more batter, humming to herself. A small smile formed on the captain's face, he wished this was how things could have been. Leaving the kitchen, Tristan approached the intercom and pressed the receiver button.

"Sohryu residence, who is it?"

"Tristan?" A cold shiver of dread ran up Tristan's spine as he recognized the voice.

"Shinji?"

"What are you doing in Asuka's apartment? Were you there all-" Shinji stopped himself.

"Were you there all night Tristan?" Came another voice. Madison's voice.

"Who is it?" Asuka asked from the kitchen. Tristan stood there in shock for several moments, debating what to do or say. Finally he hit the button to unlock the door into the apartment complex. "We might want to make more batter."

* * *

There was an awkward silence around the dining table, the griddlecakes being untouched by all present as they simply were studying their laps, breakfast, or the occupants of the other seats. This had persisted for over fifteen minutes, everyone preparing for the inevitable storm of arguing and finger pointing that would begin. All that was needed was one spark.

"So..." Tristan began, pausing as he felt three sets of eyes lock onto him. "What brought you to come here, Shinji?"

"No doubt they can ask the same of you." Asuka grumbled.

"Actually, I came because I wasn't too sure what Asuka had told me. Last night you yelled at me for five solid minutes and I was exhausted. I had no idea what it was you were trying to tell me. So I wanted to ask you when I thought you were more calm."

"Well, as I told you last night, I was only going to say it once. I don't plan on telling it to everyone present." Asuka glared at Madison. "Which reminds me, why are you here?" Madison looked down at her lap.

"I wanted to talk with Tristan, and I went over to his apartment. Shinji had said that he wasn't there all night. He said he was going to go see Asuka and I guess I thought he'd be here or you would know."

"What made you figure that?" Tristan asked.

"Since Asuka came, you were becoming increasingly busy with work, and the usual time we had to talk to each other disappeared. So I assumed that you and Asuka were seeing each other again. Since you never went back to your home nor were you working, I guessed that you were probably sleeping with Asu... Err, I mean-" That was the spark.

"What!" Asuka cried, jumping out of her seat. "Are you assuming I'm some kind of slut?"

"Asuka, she didn't mean it like that." Asuka turned her rage upon the captain.

"Then what did she mean, huh?"

"She didn't call you a slut, she just thought you and Tristan were..." Shinji fumbled for the right word.

"Lovers." Madison finished. Asuka laughed at the notion.

"We were never lovers to start with, what makes any of you think we'd start now?" Tristan closed his eyes, his reaction to the stinging remark.

"Then what were you doing over here?" Shinji asked.

"I suppose after yelling at you, Shinji, Asuka came to my office to announce her resignation from NERV." Madison and Shinji stared at Asuka in disbelief. Asuka folded her arms and looked away. "I was able to convince her otherwise."

"What makes you think I'm not going to?"

"You're still here, aren't you?" The retort. She gave a snort. "Regardless, I gave her a ride home and helped her into her apartment. I guess because I was up a solid day like Shinji and Asuka were, I ended up falling asleep on the couch."

"Oh..." Madison became silent again.

"So is that everything?" Tristan asked, regarding everyone at the table. "Is this little soap opera over?"

"You just got up?" Shinji blurted out. Tristan was slow to respond, and then gave a curt nod in Shinji's direction. The boy looked down at the griddlecakes at back up at the captain. He then looked at Asuka.

"What are you staring at?" Asuka growled. Shinji simply looked down at the plate and sighed.

"I'm not a kid, Tristan. Why did you have to keep this from me?"

"What do you mean? I had nothing to hide." Shinji hung his head.

"Shinji?" Madison stood up and leaned over the table. "You okay?"

"I'm fine." He growled. Asuka rolled her eyes, expecting the melodrama to begin again. Tristan in the meanwhile leaned his arms onto the table. A small smile came on Tristan's face, almost as if he was proud of something, Asuka blinked, this more coy side of Tristan reminded her of Kaji.

"You know about the meetings?"

"They weren't meetings, were they?" The smile faded.

"Well they weren't clandestine encounters." Asuka caught on to what they were talking about and looked away out of irritation, not wanting to see the sap dribble out of the conversation. Shinji lifted his head, seeing the now more serious look on Tristan and then regarding Madison, who simply stared at him, clearly clueless of what was happening. The captain followed the boy's gaze to Madison. "Madison, I think this is a conversation between the three of us."

"Let her stay." Asuka murmured. "If she wants to stick around, I really don't care anymore." Tristan looked back at Madison.

"Do you want to stay and see this through?" The girl was hesitant but nodded. The captain looked back to Shinji. "Continue." Regarding him for a few minutes, Shinji took a deep breath.

"You business is not my own, Tristan, but after the 'complications' between Asuka and I..."

"You felt betrayed?" Tristan finished.

"A little."

"Give me a break. You are such a pitiable person that anyone would be willing to favour a worm like you in the argument. So what if Tristan sided with me? You could probably have had anyone you want side with you. Though you may not think it even Shig-" She stopped. A pained expression was passed between them.

"Who?" Madison queried.

"Shigeru Aoba. On our way out of Asia we met him, he was one of our friends... He-"

"Don't just assume he's dead you pessimist." Asuka growled.

"I- I'm sorry for you loss." Madison murmured. Asuka slammed her hand on the table.

"He's not dead!"

"Alive or dead, it doesn't really matter right now." Tristan leaned back and folded his arms. "Shinji, you are right in saying that it is my business. I don't care about the interpersonal relationships of my pilots. Enemies, friends, lovers, if it doesn't negatively impact their performance on the field I couldn't give a rat's ass about it. I just hope that we can just get over this, cut the crap and get back to doing what we're supposed to do."

"But what about the baby?" Shinji asked.

"There isn't any." The boy looked down at his lap and Asuka gave a sigh. Tristan's cell phone rang and he immediately answered it. Turning away from the table.

"A baby?" Madison blinked and looked to Tristan's back, Shinji's bowed head and then met Asuka's gaze.

"That's right." Asuka grumbled, confirming Madison's suspicions.

"Shinji, Asuka." Tristan rose from his seat and turned to face them. "We need to get to Tower Four, UNIT is sending its EVA back for a visit."

* * *

"Finally, a sortie. God how long has it been?" Asuka asked as her Evangelion lifted the rifle off of the concrete pad.

"This is no time to reminisce, Pilot Sohryu." Asuka clicked her tongue, annoyed by the captain's nagging attitude.

"Three months now." Shinji offered. He scanned around the area of the fight. A couple hundred miles to the west was probably where his first encounter with UNIT's Evangelion first took place. Shinji took his one hundredth glance at the horizon to spot a group of incoming Harriers. None came, thank God.

"Radar shows know other radar signals in the area. No Tridents, battleships, or other tangos. Some artillery strikes came ahead of the target and was probably trying to disrupt any early warning equipment we had. They managed to take it out, however a flyby revealed the target moving below the sea surface. The enemy is running on battery power and doesn't seem to have any extra support. Possibly a stealth mission. No doubt the enemy will try and take advantage of our generators should one of you be forced to eject the umbilical cable. If you must lose it, try and deny the enemy EVA access to the cable."

"Of course. You don't give us enough credit." Asuka complained.

"Shinji would already know it, but you, Pilot Sohryu are a different matter."

"Ugh. Sniping at me again in the cockpit, how lame are you?"

"Have you ever noticed that you also banter and bicker before every operation?" Quipped Septerra. Tristan looked over his shoulder and gave weak smile twisted in with the horrid realization that he was right. "It's getting old."

"Right..." The captain could hear Asuka snickering in his earpiece. Tristan glanced over one of the monitors seeing Asuka's synch ratio fluctuate. He frowned, recalling the training experiment. Shinji's previous connection with Unit-01 was linked by emotion, Asuka's through exacting training. He guessed that the roles were beginning to reverse with their synchronization abilities beginning to atrophy.

"Target is picking up speed." One of the lieutenants reported.

"Again?" Tristan brought the receiver to his lips. "Pilots Ikari and Sohryu, the target will be surfacing in a few minutes. No doubt they will be using a heavy weapon to try and knock you down. Keep your distance and aim for the battery packs that will be on its shoulder blades. Take those out and we can reduce its battle endurance to a few minutes. Maybe we can finally catch their pilot and get this over with."

"Roger." Shinji confirmed. Unit-06 stood up and levelled its gun towards a spot in the distance. A broad reticule came out showing the general area that the target was at. Of course, the rangefinder was not accurate with the distance and distortion of the waves. Shinji was not about to be forced to flee. Glancing to the side, he saw Unit-05 level its weapon. Shinji was once again reminded of the battle against the Seventh Angel on the beach. A failure to be sure, but this time the two were more experienced pilots and they didn't have to worry about an Angel's special capabilities. Two against one, this time it probably wasn't going to be fair. With a small taste of victory, Shinji smiled.

"Target will be breaking surface in fifteen seconds..." The captain reported, easing the two pilots into the encounter. "Ten... Nine... Eight... Seven?" The captain trailed off as the monitor picked up the same thing the pilots were also seeing.

First to break the water were a pair of black insectoid appendages ending in hooked claws. The claws were connected to high-set shoulders covered in black rubbery skin. Next came the ivory formation in the centre of the collarbone. A dense, low mound of muscle would have been where the head of a human could be between the shoulders. Said shoulders ended in two densely muscled arms and oversized hands with two fingers and a thumb to each. The torso of the creature seemed anorexic, with an almost non-existent waist and its ribs meshed and twisted together to form an organic, spherical cage under the ivory mask on the collar. Two more pairs of hooked arms came off of its back. The entire monster was carried by a set of wiry but powerful legs, balanced by a bony tail that slowly waved to and fro. An audible gurgling sound came from it's direction until gallons of red water splashed out and down from the rib cage and into the ocean. The liquid gone, the gurgle turned into a whining, high-pitched hiss.

All who witnessed the rise of the creature grew sick to their stomach, not only from the thing's alien appearance, but a few knew the connotations this monster meant.

"Confirmed." Tristan grated out, he felt light headed and nauseous. "Angel sighted. Unit-05 and 06... Engage."

_**To Be Continued...**_

  
Author's Note  
I know better than to put an ACC with an original series character without really good reason, if at all. So put down the pitchforks and the torches ladies and gentleman. Thank you.  
The first part of Asuka's dream was written based on the audio commentary of the U.S. release of NGE: Death and Rebirth. They mention that Koaru showed up about a week before everything started going wrong. This helps to explain why the practice in the concert hall was given; it's actually part of the continuity, and not part of the alternate universe. Most of the episodes near the end of the series were actually jumbled up a bit, mostly to narrate via stream of consciousness. Course, there are so many things that could contradict it, so I guess it just depends on what sources you believe.  
I believe it was in June that I first decided to place PRE onto the Internet for the first time. Back then I was working at a crummy department store trying to get enough money to at least pay some of my way through college. A year later I am still writing this fic and working at a better job at another department store. Baby steps I suppose.  
Many of my chapters were designed to elicit a reaction from my readers, especially with what I've done lately. No doubt many of those reactions would be antagonism towards me for breaking the unwritten laws of Eva Fan-Fickery. Course, I am also especially glad to have positive reactions to my work. Your comments, queries, thoughts, criticisms, and encouragement, have helped to give me the will to continue this fan-fic. Really, I appreciate it and I hope that PRE enjoys another year of pleasant reading for all those who love Evangelion.  
**To my readers and critics: THANK YOU!**


	17. New Direction

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 17: New Direction  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

Asuka swallowed and looked sidelong towards Shinji's Evangelion, which stood motionless, paralysed.

"Pull it together." She growled. But the confidence faded as the being took a slow step. Tristan was right after all; the Angels were coming back. But what on Earth did that mean? How were the Angel's able to avoid the same fate the rest of humanity had felt? Images of the crimson lake and the massive crosses where the Eva-series -at least, what Asuka had believed was the Eva series- now hung. Anything Angelic had been destroyed and had been wiped clean from the world. She looked down at the controls. The Evangelions were still here, the weapons against the Angels, the blades that could be covered in their blood was still here. Asuka shook her head. This wasn't the time to think.

Unit-05 raised its rifle and fired off three carefully aimed rounds. The bullets cracked out of the muzzle, only to gently arc around the black behemoth and explode into the water. The Angel stopped and turned to face her, at least, being it's ivory 'mask' to look at her. It gave another high-pitched hiss, a sound that didn't intimidate Asuka in the list. She took a deep breath and felt herself enter her Evangelion fully, bring to bear it's own AT Field. She aimed again and fired. A chip of bone came off as the crushed shell fell away from the Angel. He took a step towards her.

"Shinji, snap out of it and help me!" Asuka barked.

"Asuka, what are you doing?" Tristan snapped into the receiver. The rest of the staff around him, even Septerra were still in shock, but at this point the frenzy in Tristan's heart called him to action. He looked back up to the monitor. "Asuka, wake up!"  
Asuka ignored the noise, cursing and taking a step back. She took another shot, only causing barely any damage at all. Tristan's face hardened into a mask of determination.

"Asuka! I said hold your fire!"

"Don't tell me what to do." The German girl growled as she held down the trigger. A volley of bullets exploded from the gun. But the Angel immediately dropped sideways, the flurry of lead passing by it while a few deflected off course and farther along down the coastline.

"Wha-?" Taken aback by the Angel's sudden speed, Asuka wasn't prepared for the monster to lunge out of the water and close the distance.

"Shinji!" Tristan barked into the receiver. Asuka gave a feral cry as she jumped sideways to avoid the rushing Angel. Snapping around the creature turned to face her and to receive another burst of gunfire to its chest. The impact caused it to falter for a second before again it charged at her. Whatever her reasoning, rather than avoiding again, Unit-05 charged forward, the Angel twisted away and crashed down into the sand.

"Leave him. If he's gonna wimp out, then I don't need him." Asuka murmured. She quickly found his footing and got back up, snapping around just as the Angel turned to face her. Out of the corner of her eye, Asuka could finally see Shinji moving. He turned in his direction and took a step back. "What are you doing?"

One of the monster's came down in a sweep as the creature spun around. Asuka barely made a yelp of surprise before Unit-05's feet were taken out from under it. The Evangelion's gun discharged, the burst slapping the Angel's shin, but the majority passing around it.  
Asuka winced as she heard Shinji cry out in pain and several expletives come from the captain's end of the line. As the world stopped spinning, Asuka saw the creature bare down on Unit-06, a claw jammed into the Evangelion's side.

"Shinji!" She screamed and the plug gave way to darkness.

* * *

Shinji decided to hide in his room. Pen-Pen's German television shows only caused him to worry about Asuka even more. Tristan wasn't home, having been at Tower Four for three days now. He was desperately attempting to run the investigation on Asuka. The boy touched his shin, even though it had been so long, he still felt the sting that the plug's feedback system left. In a dark way, the friendly fire gave the ordnance personnel proof that that rounds given were effective in piercing an Evangelion's armour.

Shinji gave a weak laugh directed to the ceiling. It was dry and he licked his lips, trying to get rid of that discomforting feeling.  
_What are you laughing at, stupid?_ Asuka asked in his head. The loneliness inside of the apartment was nearly unbearable, and even an imaginary Asuka was company, even though she was honestly a bully. A bully... Deep down, cruel thoughts like that had been kept locked up, and Shinji always tried to recognize the redeeming factors of people. But sometimes...

"It's nothing really." Shinji whispered. Asuka gave a snort and a shrug.

_Simple minds, simple pleasures._

"That's not very nice, Asuka."

_So what? _Shinji frowned

"Have you ever been nice to anyone?"

_What are you? Stupid?_

"That's what you keep calling me..."_  
_

_Then you really are stupid.  
_

"But you're dodging my question. Have you been nice to people?"_  
_

_What's this? The little wimp is growing a backbone?  
_

"I'm not a wimp."_  
_

_Then why didn't you want to kiss me? It was because it was the anniversary of your mother's death.  
_

"That's not fair."_  
_

_All's fair in love and war, stupid.  
_

"'All's fair'?"_  
_

_Yeah, we're at war, stupid. With UNIT and the Angels.  
_

"But the Angels are gone." The imaginary Asuka simply looked away. Shinji sighed and rolled over onto his side. Even an imaginary Asuka was difficult to understand. 'But the Angels are gone.' The words ran around his mind a couple of times before he could bear to consider them. The phrase both saddened and relieved Shinji. There were no signs of the Angel's coming back, and if that was the case, then there was potential for the world to improve._  
_

Unfortunately, the teacher that Shinji lived with prior to going to Tokyo-3 was a little cynical about what the future held. He seriously doubted that the unification of the entire world would last forever. We always have our own agendas, and we would certainly put ourselves before one another. That would explain why UNIT did what it had. They didn't believe the Angels were here anymore and so saw the NEC as a threat. Two fledgling nations were attempting to bring order to the shattered world and they saw each other as a threat. No. Not the nations, but the Evangelions.

'The curse of the Evangelion', a term that Shinji remembered hearing from Misato deep in the belly of Central Dogma, after the Sixteenth Angel, the one that Rei killed, and herself along with it. That was Rei. The girl he saw after the destruction, the 'new' Rei...

A shiver ran up Shinji's spine. Thousands of Rei's all staring at him and smiling. The things from macabre horror movies were coming to realization. Humans had so much potential and yet this is what they settled for. Demeaning life, humanity, and then killing it in a senseless war.

As long as the Evangelions existed, Shinji was stuck in the monstrous mess. Between Second and Third Impact was a dark spot in history, one that should have been erased. If only they didn't know his name, if only Tristan never knew who he was. If only that transmission, those files that Tristan occasionally mentioned, had been lost.

Asuka wouldn't be so lucky though; Tristan knew her and she would be trapped in this Hell alone. Shinji was also responsible, and so it wouldn't be fair if Asuka had taken it all on her own.

A memory of Misato flashed by, as she hollered for him to leave, because Shinji didn't have the nerve to pilot the Evangelion again. He had received an overdose of input in that fight with the Fourth Angel. He had to flee or he would die, he had to protect the people in the plug with him, but why? Did he think he could allow the Evangelion to go berserk like it did in its first sortie?

"But the Angels are gone."

_If the Angels are gone, then why do we keep the EVAs?_

_Because the Lillim-_

Shinji snapped awake. He had dozed off there in his bedroom and Kaoru had paid a visit. No matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get the Seventeenth Angel out of his head. Shinji was afraid to close his eyes, to see the ruby eyes of Kaoru.

He was still guilty about what he had to do. That had to be the reason why Kaoru's ghost would never give him peace. Shinji thought he had gotten over it, but even when he told himself, over, and over, again, that it was Kaoru's wish to die. But it was just a lie; Shinji knew deep down inside himself that what he did was wrong in the deepest sense.

Kaoru's last words were hazy in Shinji's head. He said so many things that didn't make sense. The light of the soul, the spirit within the Evangelions, and the life forms... Humans and Angels? Kaoru's image faded a little. Shinji needed to keep his mind busy... To work on things that kept him away from thinking about the nightmares. He pulled himself off of the bed and out of his room.  
Pen-Pen made a curious gurgling sound. Shinji looked at the bird, expecting to be the subject of a pair of beady, scrutinizing eyes. But instead, the penguin was looking away from the television and towards the window. Shinji stopped in the middle of the living room and frowned.

"What's wrong?" The penguin glanced up at him and then back to the window. The boy traced the animal's gaze to the window. He blinked once, twice. At first expecting it to be a mirage, but there it was. A small mottled brown bird, no bigger than his hand, sat on the sill of the window, not at all concerned with what was on the inside, but looking out at its surroundings, and giving a few quick chirps.

"Oh my God." Shinji murmured. Of course, the impact should have been more significant when Shinji was reunited with Pen-Pen, but there was a significant difference with discovering a lost pet, and seeing the return of true nature. Things were returning to normal. Or at least it appeared to be. The presence of that single little bird seemed to grant the boy a small bit of relief. The world wasn't going to be barren save for humans after all. The world was beginning to flourish once again.

The bird took flight in a flutter of its wings, quickly disappearing from view. Shinji looked down at Pen-Pen, who shared a similar look. He smiled and the bird looked back at the television monitor. Shinji sat down, a small smile on his face as he watched an outdated new report.

* * *

"Three days, four hours, thirty-two minutes, and six seconds..." Asuka mumbled. "_Damn it. How long is Tristan going to keep me in this cell? I didn't do anything wrong... I didn't- I didn't mean to attack Unit-06 and Shinji. My monitor started forming echoes... Phantoms- Something! I thought it was an Angel and so I acted like I was trained to. There was nothing malicious... Oh what's..._" She stopped her monologue. No matter how much she tried to defend her case to the walls of this room, they were not inclined to let her go. Besides, the data from the plug, if it worked against her, would be proof... But, proof of what? No doubt they thought she was crazy... The crazy bitch they locked up after she shot her own... What was Shinji, to her? Certainly nothing significant, that was for sure. A roommate... Former roommate... Companion in arms. The fact that she had to slowly remind herself of that fact did not bode well for that title. Companion in arms no longer applied, she wasn't even fighting any more. And unless any evidence proved in her favour, that was probably going to be the case.

But what would happen if she were no longer able to pilot an Evangelion? That was always a scary thought to consider. She had always wondered about it, but more than ever she was becoming aware of the prospect. There really wasn't an Angel, and her first ever sortie and months had ended with her shooting another pilot.

That was probably what was transpiring at the moment. The last three days was a bunch of officers arguing over what kind of a liability she was. Only a handful of witnesses, both of which were not really on her good side. Shinji probably was probably feeling as though his safety was a concern while being in the same continent with Asuka. And Tristan had a considerable bone to pick with her as well. Real or imagined, he would probably use it against her, or would he? After all, here he was dropping in at her apartment to cook for her. Drive her home when she was ready to have a nervous breakdown... Asuka gave a slight chuckle. She had to admit she lost count on how many she had.

Shinji meanwhile, probably still believed she was a valued pilot. He was so modest it stopped being a positive trait and become extremely annoying. He was a walking, talking, idiosyncrasy. Weak and spineless, but was able to tear apart Angels and Tridents alike. She had to respect his talent, but she wanted to puke at the same time, and the fact that he could easily show her up anytime he wants also bugged her. In fact, both Tristan and Shinji were both being nice guys and jerks in almost the same way. Talk about being separated at birth.  
The thought of such a scenario caused Asuka to chuckle and she gave the ceiling a small chuckle. She sat up and looking around the room. A private hospital room, but with a desk.

Asuka recalled when the towers such as these were crammed with personnel. Now it was only the scarce information broker, scientist, or technician, with the occasional runner when another cable broke down in the most inevitable of fashions. With so few people, maintenance was always playing catch up as everyone else was trying to optimize the running of the facility. It was a nightmare.

"Asuka." Startled, the girl whipped her head towards the door and glared at Tristan as he stepped in.

"Knock first, asshole!" She barked. Tristan wasn't amused.

"Command has decided to let you go." He informed.

"Well it's about damn time!" She got up off the bed and put her hands on her hips. "What took so long anyways?"

"Poor prioritization. It only took the board six hours to decide that you are still worth keeping around."

"What! You mean I was stuck here for three days for nothing?"

"It would have been faster if I was allowed to search the database for the relevant information."

"What are you talking..." Asuka stopped in mid sentence and saw the reason. It was miniscule, but having seen Tristan wear the same  
uniform for so long, it was clear as day. "You were demoted?"

"Knocked down to Second Lieutenant and I am no longer Operations Director."

"But that means you won't even be part of the operations team anymore."

"I know." Tristan stepped toward the window and looked toward the blue-mirrored class on the caverns wall. "Everything is now on a  
need to know basis. Everything!" His lips tightened, and Asuka half-expected him to punch the glass.

"And I suppose you're going to blame this on me?"

"No. But I do have to apologize."

"This ought to be good." She crossed her arms.

"I have been a little too hard considering my rank as a captain."

"You mean with all your high expectations, including wanting to be called 'Captain' and not Tristan?"

"Yes."

"So?"

"My rank was a field promotion."

"A field promotion? You mean it was intended to be temporary."

"That's right."

"I should have known. You are such an asshole... Of course you couldn't have risen to the rank of captain that quickly. Hell, I am amazed that you made it to being a second lieutenant. What were you when I left, a corporal? I should have known that it was all bull shit. You are a poser, Tristan!"

"I get it, Asuka. You can give it a rest. During the next synch test I will begin to update the synch profile for Unit-08. Until then, there is still the matter of meeting your new operations director. You and Shinji."

"Oh I get it now. You were demoted because your replacement has arrived." He nodded.

"But I don't think you will like the replacement."

"What do you mean?"

"You'll find out tomorrow. Until then, I'd guess you'd want to get a shower." Asuka looked away nervously. That was a bit of a touchy. It was understandable because she had been stuck in the same room for the past three days. Even Tristan had to admit that it was unwarranted, and he didn't like how the command board was handling things. He wasn't even sure if taking him off of the operations team was a wise idea considering the investment he had made on his pilots, who were now his equals once more.

Asuka on the other hand was downright upset. She wasn't about to show it, but it was a subject of concern to hear that Tristan was going to be transferred to being an Evangelion pilot. His synch tests he showed her so long ago showed he was on par with what Rei had with her Evangelion. He was capable, and her tests still showed her progress to be stunted. The psychologists all said it was because of her emotional baggage, but she knew that it was all bullshit. Shinji was probably one of the most screwed up people she knew, second only to Wonder Girl. As far as she saw it, she was the most normal in this sideshow of psychological garbage piles.

"Come on, I'll take you home." Tristan went back to the door and motioned for Asuka to leave. She frowned at him and went through in silence. After a few feet, Tristan caught up and walked next to her. The German girl remained silent, looking ever forward, and not giving the now- second lieutenant the satisfaction of the sidelong glance.

"I'll be fine getting home on my own, Second Lieutenant."

"You're going to rub that in at every opportunity, aren't you?"

"That's the least I should after gave me all of that high and mighty crap. I have the mind to rip your heart out and feed it to you on a  
sodium-reduced, soda cracker." Tristan laughed.

"It's been so long since you told me that."

"A year and three months." Tristan's mirth was killed. Awkward silence. They arrived at the elevator are signalled for it to head for the top floor. The silence persisted for several minutes. "I didn't mean to injure, Shinji." Asuka murmured.

"I know."

"Like Hell you did. You probably think I lost my mind."

"Based upon your record, quite the contrary. If you had lost your mind, you would have taken the same strategy that you did before. You would have shut out all sensory input. Instead, you reacted to what occurred and so it wasn't the same as your breakdown." She looked at him, unimpressed.

"Stop acting smarter than you actually are."

"That's not very nice." She shrugged.

"So who is this replacement?"

"Consider it a surprise."

"I don't like surprises." Tristan didn't respond. The elevator chimed at the designated floor and the car slowed to a stop. Asuka was the first to head out, Tristan following along behind.

"Are you sure you'll be fine going home on your own?"

"Yes." She responded flatly. Tristan nodded to himself.

"Then I want to see you here at eleven-thirty in the morning to meet your new operations director."

"Fine." Passing through the main entrance doors, Asuka took a deep breath of fresh air. Turned away and down the street. Tristan stood in the parking lot and watched her leave. Tristan looked skyward, he had to be prepared for what tomorrow was going to entail.

* * *

"Good morning, Asuka."

"_Guten morgen, Shinji._" There was nothing snide behind the phrase; it was just how she felt. Shinji climbed out of the car and walked up to her. She regarded him with an odd look. It was as though she felt superior but was also apologetic, like that of a greater peer. Shinji chose to ignore it and turned to watch Tristan approach the two of them.

"_Guten morgen, Asuka. _Good to see you on time." The girl gave a snort in the second lieutenants direction.

"The sooner we meet this new operations director, the sooner I can go home and get some sleep."

"You had a rough night, Asuka?" Shinji inquired.

"No, stupid. You appreciate a warm bed more when you've been stuck in a prison cell for three days."

"You're over exaggerating." Tristan mumbled.

"I doubt it. You were probably never put in that same situation."

"And you think a significant demotion is a sweet drink?"

"Guys, could we please stop arguing? We need to make a good impression with the new director, right?" Shinji suggested, he hated having to play the peacekeeper, between these two or when Misato and Asuka had their usual quarrels. Especially when it wasn't to Asuka's benefit, which was often. And there it was, the glare. Whenever Shinji had some sound reasoning, she would stare at him like that. Either spoiling the fun of the argument, or looking her look foolish for not being the first to suggest it.

Back when there was such a thing as school, Asuka would often have her head in the clouds much like Rei would. However, Asuka was attentive enough to know when to glare at Shinji when he answered one of the questions the teacher had asked the class in general. She also seemed to want to take the questions, but only after the fact. Was it really true that she finished college before coming to Tokyo-3?

"Shinji, hurry up!" Tristan barked. The boy blinked and quickly caught up to the two Germans, who were already halfway down the hall. Keeping pace when them, Shinji looked and regarded their expressions. Tristan was looking ever forward, his lower ranking pin standing out starkly on his collar. A mark of shame for the former captain perhaps. Shinji wondered if Tristan would have some choice words about the new operations director once they were away from the ears of Tower-Four personnel.

Looking to Asuka, Shinji finally noticed that she was wearing Misato's red jacket on this occasion, the silver pin of a major still on the collar. Was she hoping to try and intimidate the new leader of the pilots with a supposed rank herself? Doubtful. In reality she was probably using it as salt in the wound with regards to Tristan's loss. On the outside, the two showed no signs of ever being friends.  
Even Shinji couldn't call himself Asuka's friend. They had been roommates, nothing more. The synchronization exercises they did after their first sortie together didn't even bring them any closer together. Rather, they simply complicated things and help to further brand Shinji as a pervert. Whenever he made a mistake like that, she would never let him live it down. It was frustrating, especially considering how awkward being a teenager was.

A teenager. Shinji had never even realized that he was still a teenager. Despite having to fight to the save the world, and now fighting to save the NEC, he was still a kid. It was disturbing when he examined it in his head. There had been plenty of comics created of ordinary school kids doing extraordinary things, but never did Shinji ever realize he would be doing the same thing. But on the other side of the coin, he would be considered an adult at this age, back in the ancient times. He would be have been fighting and killing other teenagers. Shinji shuddered from the thought, and from the memories.

"What's up with you?" Asuka prodded, having noticed Shinji's reaction. He blinked and looked at her, Tristan slowed down and took to the back of the group to let them speak clearly to one another, and so that he could see the whole of the conversation.  
"It's nothing. Just a chill."

"For a man, you're awfully sensitive. I bet a stiff breeze could probably knock you down, you wuss."

"You know that's not true."

"Tristan of all people can knock you down."

"Of course, he's a soldier." Asuka snorted at the remark and then looked to Tristan.

"I have received military training, but not like you think Shinji. If you actually wanted to, you could beat me in a fight."

"That demotion must have taken a real hit to your self-esteem, Second Lieutenant. Now you think that this stooge can beat you?" Tristan raised an eyebrow.

"I suppose I should thank you for the compliment."

"That wasn't a compliment, you imbecile."

"Well there is something in there."

"Why don't you shut the Hell up, Tristan?"

"Despite what the pin on your jacket says, I am still a higher rank than you."

"And you think you can cow me with that? Get real!" They stopped in front of the elevator. Looking up, Shinji noticed the indicator for where the car was, was rising to their level. In the background, Asuka and Tristan continued to bark at each other like angry dogs. It was a welcome change that Shinji wasn't the one always being picked on by Asuka anymore. The boy then observed that no one had pressed the button to call the car up, someone was coming up on their one. Shinji stepped to the side of the door and looked to his two compatriots.

"Guys, someone is coming out." He announced. The two regarded Shinji and the elevator door and stepped over to the same side, as Shinji was on before continuing the argument. The elevator chimed, and the door opened. The figure to step out caused Shinji to go pale. Tristan took a double take before turning to face and give a quick salute. Asuka, perplexed, looked to the newcomer and froze. The two pilots both looked as though they had seen a ghost, and in their minds, that was what they saw.

"Pilots Ikari and Sohryu, I'd like you to meet Ma-"

"Misato!" The raven-haired woman looked to Shinji and her face was filled with surprise and relief at seeing the young man. Shinji couldn't move and he was stuck in place, paralysed by the overwhelming emotion that was coming through him. Her expression turned to a soft smile as she placed a hand on Shinji's shoulder. Her body was stiff, and all could tell that it was the only thing keeping them from embracing each other, like a mother and child long since separated.

"S-Shinji... It's been a long time."

"It took you long enough." Asuka grumbled. She crossed her arms and lowered her head, trying to hide the weak smile that was coming upon her face.

"It's good to see you again, Asuka." The tension and level of awkwardness was enough that even Tristan couldn't come up with any expression other than the cheesy 'cut with a progressive knife'. Three friends, who had once been the closest thing to a family, were now trying to hide their emotions for the sake of posterity. It was humorous enough that Tristan couldn't help give a small chuckle.

"Welcome to E-NERV, Major Katsuragi." Misato nodded towards the Second Lieutenant in acknowledgement.

"I guess we have a lot of catching up to do, don't we?" Shinji nodded, beaming. After three months of change, there was finally something that was going to help get things back to normal. Misato looked from the young man to her German pilot.

"Wait a minute. Isn't that my jacket? Where did you get that?" Asuka shrugged.

"Long time ago, found it in the ocean."

"It looks good on you." Misato began to tear up and wiped one away as it started to go down her cheek. "Oh God, I never thought I'd see you guys again."

"W-We missed you too, Misato." Shinji seemed almost like a child, the way he was speaking. He was happy.

"So where have you been, Misato?" Asuka queried.

"Italy. Now that I think about it, the NEC has made surprising strides in forming a coastal watch for survivors." She looked between the two young pilots who had once been her charges. "Now I know that you two managed to save the world, somehow."

"That is debatable." Tristan murmured under his breath. Misato gave a sidelong glance of concern toward the second lieutenant, who simply looked away. But after a few moments he looked back. "You folks will probably not have much time to socialize after today, so it might be best that you go out to lunch now and you guys can catch up." Misato smiled at the former captain.

"That sounds wonderful Lieutenant Nevril." The young man nodded.

"I also was able to reserve a pier table at Bobby Reich."

"Isn't that the place that Madison has been chasing you around to go to several months ago?" Asuka prodded. Tristan simply shrugged.

"Doesn't matter. Besides, I think you will all enjoy the food there. Besides, I still owe you and Shinji lunch that time you sprained your ankle, Asuka."

"You don't have to remind me of that."

"Why don't you come along to, Lieutenant. I think we'd appreciate the company." Tristan shook his head.

"Sorry, but this is time for you three."

"No, I insist, besides, I'd like to know your point of view on how things have been going when I wasn't around."

"You're probably trying to dodge having to pay the bill, aren't you?" Tristan blushed, caught in the act. Asuka laughed triumphantly. Shinji approached the Second Lieutenant.

"Come on, Tristan, it'll be fun. Besides, we're friends and as I see it, you're all our friend too."

"That's debatable." Asuka grumbled, trying to sound like Tristan had over the subject of Third Impact. The boy took a breath.

"Fine." Shinji smiled.

"Thanks." He whispered. The lieutenant shrugged again.

* * *

"Has the Italian peninsula actually been populated?" Asuka asked.

"Not really. The rescue personnel probably can't be counted as part of the populace, even then they only populate the small cities nestled in the hills. But even then, their communities resemble military base camps rather than domestic towns." Misato responded, running her finger on the rim of a mug of beer.

"The NEC has made an effort to try and populate areas that are better covered by NERV's sphere of influence. Consolidation and centralization are paramount at this stage of reconstruction."

"How long to do you think it will take until the human population starts returning to all the cities?" Shinji asked. Tristan and Misato both looked at each other.

"Twenty years, I would imagine." Misato answered.

"Three tragic generations." Tristan added. "The generation to survive Second Impact, the generation of Third Impact, and those who have to clean up our mess." Misato nodded, as did the other pilots.

"So you two, what have you been up to?" Asuka and Shinji exchanged glances. Asuka was the first to look away with a sigh.

"Took a boat from what was left of the Japanese islands to China. Went along the southern coast and started working our way to Europe. Got separated, met up again here."

"That was pretty scarce." Tristan commented.

"Along the way we ran into Lieutenant Aoba." Shinji added. Misato nearly spilled her drink.

"What?" She sputtered.

"We ran into him in China and travelled with him until we ran into another community." Recognizing this part of the story, Tristan nodded,  
affirming Shinji's accuracy.

"Where is he now?"

"Lost." Asuka grumbled. "Taken by a bunch of soldiers." Misato looked to Tristan for an answer.

"UNIT troops must have attacked the community. Some of our personnel were in the area searching a NERV storage depot. No doubt the troops wanted to use the town as a base of operations to attack. The search team cleared out as soon as we had a blip on the radar." Misato looked puzzled.

"I thought UNIT was situated in North America."

"They are, but it appears that they have the resources necessary to get anywhere they want in the world. It's made our salvage operations a little complicated. Worst still, we have been stuck on the defensive for so long that UNIT has had free reign over several depots. The false attack three days ago was simply a diversion so that they could get into bunker in New Zealand without us harassing them."

"God, I swear it's just like the Angels. All we can do is wait for them to attack us." Asuka grumbled. Misato leaned back in her chair and crossed her arms.

"Not necessarily. Unlike the Angels, we just have to wait for an opportunity to attack back."

"That time may be coming very shortly. UNIT sent a distraction this time around, rather than actual military force. I think they're going to let up a bit. In that time we can mount a counter attack." Tristan added.

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"We're not just going over there to attack UNIT, we're going to have to mount an invasion force so that we can end UNIT's military capabilities. That is something that can't be done in a single day."

"I know that, but I'd rather be getting there rather than just waiting for the bureaucrats to tell us when it's too late."

"We shouldn't be too anxious to go, Asuka." Shinji added. "We're going to be severely outnumbered and our EVAs won't always have reliable power sources."

"This coming from the pilot who defeated two Tridents in five minutes. How sad."

"At least Shinji is aware of how dangerous it's going to be when we do decide to invade." Tristan took a sip of his drink.

"Oh, of course. And if I were staying with the director of operations I would know the same thing." The second lieutenant glanced at Misato, then back to Asuka and shrugged. Silence lingered for a few moments.

"So you're staying with Tristan, Shinji?" Misato asked. The boy nodded. "And what about you Asuka?"

"I'm living on my own."

"Barely." Tristan muttered.

"Well it's excellent to see the two of you are able to function after everything that has happened."

"Getting as far as you did right after Third Impact is indeed impressive." Tristan added.

"And I have also heard that your synchronization ratios are improving. Especially yours, Asuka." The redhead smiled at the compliment.

"All I need now is to get some actual combat experience and I'll be on the saddle in no time." Misato then looked to Tristan.

"And I hear you're finally going to be piloting." The second lieutenant nodded. "Have you been keeping up with your tests and training regimen?"

"Of course. I put these two on a similar system, considering the conditions of this conflict, it seemed logical for them to be able to fight another human being rather than just Evangelions and Tridents."

"I wouldn't call it training so much as a death march." Asuka growled.

"Only because you weren't keeping up with it your original program when you went to Tokyo-3."

"So what, I was too busy fighting Angels. I didn't have time to worry about physical training."

"Nor did you seem to be worried about your studies." Misato shot back.

"Well Shinji wasn't doing too well with his studies either, but I bet you're going to cut him some slack because he was such a great pilot."

"Scholastic difficulties are normal in teenagers." Said Tristan.

"'Normal'? How is Shinji normal?"

"I'm right here, Asuka, you don't have to act like I'm not." Shinji murmured.

"Normal people don't graduate from college at fourteen."

"Well then you're just as much a freak as I am then, Second Lieutenant."

"I didn't say the opposite of normal was being a freak. But if that's how you want to see yourself..." He gave a little chuckle.

"You ass! I oughta-"

"Okay! Okay. Asuka we get the point. Would you two stop arguing? It was annoying years ago and it's still annoying now." Shinji tilted his  
head, perplexed by the major's comment.

"'Years ago'? You knew Tristan from before." Misato of course nodded.

"I would occasionally have to come down to E-NERV headquarters in order to give an assessment of Asuka and Tristan's performance. Though I must say, it was simply a performance to get them to speak to each other, the way they argued like an old couple."

"Don't call it that!" Asuka cried. Shinji noticed a twinge of melancholy on Tristan's face. He really hadn't gotten over Asuka. No wonder he was practically attached to everything she did. It was kind of sad, in a way that Shinji, retrospectively, could understand himself. Third Impact happened so quickly that things were never resolved in a way that Shinji found all right. From Tristan's pained silence, Asuka trying to raise as much Hell in order to hide her feelings, and the strange, detached mask on Misato's face.

Misato, out of the three roommates, shed the least tears from their reunion, but the occasional shudder in her breath, or struggling smile show that there was a lot under there that she didn't want to show. Was it to save face? She had only shown real emotion in front of Asuka and he, and when at work, she was the model of professionalism. She was in the presence of a legitimate co-worker. Despite he was now a pilot, Tristan still had a rank, and that was probably why she refused to show her true self.

A flash of insight, like that from a distant dream, crossed his mind. A hot apartment with a diminutive fan trying to cool the large room. The thought quickly evacuated and Shinji started. Tristan seemed to notice, but didn't directly comment on it. The image had seemed familiar, but Shinji honestly never saw the place his entire life. A memory that wasn't his own?

"Don't tell me you're not hungry." Asuka growled. Shinji blinked and glanced down at his dinner plate, seeming to have appeared out of thin air. He blinked once and then twice. How long was he off in space?

"No, it's nothing like that."

"After the swill that Tristan probably had you eating this stuff will be Heaven." She laughed.

"It'll take some getting used to Shinji, it is a heavy meal, don't make yourself sick." Misato warned.

"I won't. I'm not a little kid, besides, Tristan has been getting me into heavier meals." He glanced at Tristan, and the second lieutenant felt as though there was a second layer behind the boy's statement. He frowned. Was Shinji still angry about the argument at Asuka's home? It soon dawned on the former operation's director why Shinji was so angry. It was somewhat embarrassing that he didn't acknowledge, but beyond the girls treating him as a child, and him coddling him, that anger was envy.

No, that couldn't be intentional of Shinji. It had to be trick of the light. Right?

**To Be Continued...**

Author's Notes  
Long time and no chapter. Sorry for the long wait, hope no one has given up on reading the story. No doubt a bunch of you were practically seething after the last chapter... And the one before that even... So I can only assume that the reviews that I do get are simply the tip of a much larger, and mixed iceberg.  
A lot of you are becoming concerned about how little interaction there is between Shinji and Asuka. From my perspective, however, this proposal is easier said than done. For one thing, I have completely engaged myself in drying to nail down this monster of a plot and looking back at the grotesque number of chapters once again, it seems that I am still having trouble settling on things to move them forward. But also, I still think there are still some wrinkles between Asuka and Shinji that I need to let smooth out, our favourite red head's outburst was a good start, but I think time and sufficient opportunity is needed. Let's hope I can finally get onto track what with this latest, and maybe final, development before things get underway. (God and Muse willing.)  
The end of the chapter did indeed have a bit of me trying to cover my own ass; it has been so long since I even studied Misato's character that I can't even think about how to write her properly. The restrained emotion is one such way, and I didn't want to just fill three pages with emotional, gushing, drivel. (Though I suppose that was the end result anyway.)

A very astute reader in the past also noted an "error" in that Misato's jacket would have a hole because she was shot. Misato's body was also probably turned to past after the explosion where she was. But at the same time, note that bandages had materialized on Asuka's person after washing up onto the shore. Further, Instrumentality turned every corpse into LCL. 'Rough edges' sounds to be too harsh of a word when giving a name for these attributes of Third Impact and the questions that arise from it.

I think that Post Third Impact fan fictions are not necessarily the breeding ground of Shinji / Asuka romances, but also places where, indirectly, authors can attempt to fill in the blanks that they saw in the Evangelion saga and share them with everyone else. Your input also, plays a part in the development of the story through your thoughts on not only how things are going, but also giving your observations. I may be a suck up to my audience with how many times I tip my hat to you guys, but I still feel obliged to do so. Thank you for reading New Direction.

By the way, with the summer winding down and my second year of college on the way, you may be seeing more chapters of Primum Evangelion than the paltry amount that the fan fictions second year has seen. Now on to another productive year!


	18. Over the Top

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 18: Over the Top  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

"Shinji, your watch it over." Unit-06 raised it's head and turned slightly, allowing Shinji to see Unit-08 rise from its kneeling position. Grey, unpainted, and seeming unfinished with every seam and label so easy to see, the Evangelion was both homely and magnificent. The newest of the upgraded line, Tristan's Evangelion was different but only slightly. The head was roughly humanoid, with simple plates covering the face short of the three lenses, and off shoot of Unit-00, yet more heavily built than Unit-05 or 06. It payed for less agility with greater armour, and ultimately more firepower. The designers boasted that it could take the recoil from two positron rifles and not have a single hydraulic budge. Sturdy. "I said your shift was over." Tristan repeated. Now erect, Unit-08 looked across the landscape.

"Oh, okay." Shinji sighed. Indeed he was tired, but having been sitting in the plug for over four hours with nary a chirp from any reconnaissance units, he had all but fallen asleep. Maybe he wasn't cut out for keeping vigil over the forward base. He yawned.

"Just get some sleep, it's been a long day." Backtracking several metres, Unit-06 settled in simple plug rigging that their forces had made soon after getting a foothold. With the help of some of the workers on the rig, Shinji was pulled out of the stale LCL. More than 24 hours of active use and the stuff started to taste awful in his mouth. Tristan had said that the pilots would have to get used to it until they could overtake the NERV bunker where the UNIT forces were holed up. Shinji stopped on the catwalk before calling the elevator up. He looked to the north and towards the distant ridge. Once the forces were prepared, they were going to head over the ridge and down into the bunker. They would likely spend only day in preparation before the assault. Time was of the essence after all.

The lift stopped and the wire mesh rattled as Shinji pulled it up and stepped inside, closing the cage behind him before signalling for it to drop. He had felt strangely calm after the invasion began, more like he had been drained of all emotion in the first twenty six seconds of the attack.

Only four days after Misato had returned and already command had sent them on the offensive. In the major's own words, there was piles of evidence to reveal that UNIT's initial assault was half-hearted at best, and they ran with their tails between their legs when they couldn't finish off Unit-06. No hostile Evangelions were in NEC territory and the nation's defences were strong enough to weather a conventional assault, be it tanks and harriers, or tridents. God knew, they weren't daring enough to use N2 mines.

The lift shuddered, having reached the ground. Exiting, Shinji regarded forests surrounding the base, the awakening light casting them in deep purples. Rainfall was sparser here than on the other side of the ridge. Second Impact having a lot to do with changing the growth of this rain forest. But even then, the sharp scent of rainfall still hung in the air after having lifting over an hour ago. The concrete and asphalt tarmacs, softened by heat and age, and pitted with gunfire and the feet of the massive Evangelions leave cold mirrors on the ground. In the direction of the ridge were now smoldering patches of forest that had caught fire during the fierce fighting between the regular ground forces and UNIT's defences.

If Shinji could put the battle into words, he would have to try and describe it the way that Tristan saw the Battle of Normandy, and event that was now far, far away from anyone's mind. The fields were peppered with gunfire, mobile infantry and armoured vehicles of every sort pouring ammunition at each other. Constant air to ground support between NEC interceptors and UNIT's infamous harriers. Thank God for the fighter pilots' vigilance when the transports carrying the three pilots came overhead.

'We are like the Titans walking the Earth!' Tristan had cried, immediately grabbing a pallet rifle and raking it across the enemy lines before attaching his umbilical. Despite the humiliation of his sudden demotion, the second lieutenant seemed to gain an incredible thrill when he was able to get inside the plug once more. Shinji had to admit, that even though his first synch test left him with a nagging sense of forboding, he also had felt better than he had since he, Asuka, and Shigeru, were travelling together.

"Titans..." Shinji tried the words on his lips. The same gravity and strength that had come when Tristan yelled it, failed Shinji when he experimented with it. He was perturbed by this, but not for long. Turning away and towards the main barracks, Shinji went to get changed.  
Once finished, Shinji emerged from the spartan shower stalls, clothed in his new fatigues. Now being a part of a multi-day operation, there was no place for his more casual clothing. On his wiry frame, the black material didn't suit him. Like a fish out of his element, the symbolism from the dark uniform was not reflected on his features, like it did with Tristan and Asuka. Looking down, Shinji noticed the insignia on the left side of his front, the new symbol of E-NERV, the fig leaf framed by laurels below and a arching crescent above. Shinji didn't understand the meaning of the change, but it was clear that the NEC didn't want E-NERV do have a direct association with the old NERV. It was understandable, considering that NERV's prime directive was angels, not betrayal of all the world, or so Tristan had put it.  
Although the vigil and wore him out, Shinji didn't feel quite ready to rest, a combination of jet lag and the fact that the sun was only rising was causing considerable problems to his biological clock. Leaving the bunk room, the boy decided to wander.

Not twenty paces after leave the door, Shinji spied Asuka reclining across a bench, her back up against a vending machine, lightly humming. She was also in her black fatigues, looking sharp with her hair clipped up. At first, Shinji barely even recognized the Second Child until she gave a chance look in his direction. He approached and found her still reading the same book they had found in the woods in China. Shinji had, many times asked about the book, but every time, Asuka avoided answering him, and kept the document a closely guarded treasure.

"_Guten morgen, Asuka?_" Shinji greeted, cautious to make it sound proper.

"What?" Her response had both an annoyed chord, but also the twinge of a question.

"I said-"

"I heard what you said." She interrupted. "What do you want?"

"I... I wanted to know if we could talk." She gave a grunt.

"What? Taking some time out of your busy schedule, fighting the good fight, for those below you. That's a real inspiration, Third Child." Shinji frowned at sat down at the end of the bench, regarding her with an annoyed side-long glance. Of course, that damned book was interrupting any sort of eye contact.

"It's been a long time since we actually talked to each other."

"We talked for hours when Misato first arrived."

"I meant between the two of us. Like before we came to the NEC, before we ran into Shigeru even."

"It doesn't matter."

"'Doesn't matter'?"

"Do I have to spell it out for you? Look, the only reason we talked so much is because you were, as far as I could tell, the only other human being alive. Besides, it was by far the best way to shut you up."

"You were sick a lot."

"No shit? It's called morning sickness, d-" She stopped. Asuka laid the book down on her chest, revealing that she was looking at the ceiling with a troubled look on her face. She sighed. "I don't know whether to be relieved or embarrassed." Shinji remained silent. "When Tristan told me that I still had my maidenhood and that the pregnancy was false, I..." She fumbled for the right words. "I knew that I looked like a fool for what I said about you, but I was also happy that you hadn't done anything. You were still a pathetic little boy, not a monster.

"I don't miss those days Shinji. I don't miss talking to you, because it just reminds me of the shame. I especially hate it when you want me to talk to you like some God damned parrot."

"I'm sorry." A wince of pain came on Asuka's face.

"You don't mean it. You never did."

"If it hurts, then why are talking to me now?" Asuka growled and got up off the bench, standing over Shinji.

"Because you're too stupid to understand. You will never understand because you didn't live like I did. You never will." Shinji stood up, facing her.

"And what makes you think I won't?"

"Because your childhood wasn't put on the death march from day one! All I have is what I do now, and I had to fight, tooth and nail, to get to where I had been. I had to devalue all fifteen years of my best friend, my only friend's -my rival's- life in order to get to this position. You think you can understand me?

"I was ready to kill someone with my bare hands to become an Eva pilot, then you ride in and make me look like dirt. You have no idea what it feels like to realize that all you have done required you to destroy your life, and then realize that it wasn't enough. You took everything away from me Shinji." She shoved him down back onto the bench. "You stole everything away from me, and you kept doing it, and you didn't even care. I bet even if you understood my position you would still do it. After all, you wanted to be praised, nothing but a stray mongrel looking for a pat on the head." Shinji thrust himself back up. He didn't say anything, he just glared at her, God knew he wanted to throw a punch straight at her mouth. The staring match lasted for several seconds. "Something makes me wish I didn't just shoot..." She looked away.

"What?"

"Doesn't matter. You don't seem to care about much anyway." She turned to leave.

"Asuka, wait." Shinji grabbed her arm. Her reaction was almost reflexive. Snapping around, her freed hand snapped down onto his grabbing wrist, he released and she swung wide with her hand holding the book. Her wrist was caught by his free hand. Both of then glanced at each other, somewhat surprised. They pushed the each other away.

"I don't care what you have to say, Shinji. I still hate you, and I will always hate you. There are days I wished you would just disappear forever, but here you are, just for spite. I wish I didn't even come back."

"Don't say that!"

"Shut up! I can't change the past so I just have to deal with this. Just stop making this painful. Just stop!" Shinji lowered his head and clenched his fists.

"Why should I even bother being nice to you?" He grated. "You tell me you hate me, and yet you want me to be nice to you. I do it all and it just makes you more angry. What's the point of jumping through all your damn hoops if it just means more pain in the end? You think that you're the only one who suffers?

"Maybe I am a scrawny little weakling, but that doesn't mean that it still hurts. Did you ever think that I actually listen to what you say. That it actually hurts me too?"

"And the only reason you are nice is because you want me to like you. Just because your damn doll isn't around."

"No, don't start this again."

"Still bothers you? I should have known. Think what you want, but whatever I used to think of you, it's gone away. I envied you, but now I just hate you."

"But why are you telling me this?" She looked sidelong.

"Because I hoped you would understand. But I was wrong. But what does that matter, I'm always wrong."

"No, you're wrong." She shook her head and gave a small laugh.

"See?"

"T-that's not what I meant!"

"Nothing is..."

"Stop twisting my words around!" She shrugged.

"Whatever." She started to move away.

"It's him, isn't it." She stopped. "Your best friend... Even though you hurt him, you still care about him." Asuka didn't respond and continued on her way. Shinji watched but did not pursue. Hanging his head, he walked in the opposite direction.

"I'm sorry, Shinji." Came a little voice. Shinji stopped and looked over his shoulder, where a familiar woman leaning against the wall, close and yet hidden at an intersecting corridor.

"Madison?" She looked up, her face creased with concern. He looked away. "You heard what happened, didn't you?"

"Yes." She whispered. Something deep inside Shinji wanted to berate the girl, for constantly eavesdropping. For always bothering him in the name of getting a hold of Tristan. She was always annoying and it grew wearisome that everywhere he went, there she was.

"What are you doing here?" It was supposed to sound like anger, but all Shinji could come up with in tone was concern.

"I volunteered to go on the oper-"

"No. Why are you here right now?" 'No you stupid bitch! Why were you spying on me?' was what he wanted to say. The words wouldn't come out as such.

"At first I was just coming through this way, and then when I spotted you and Asuka arguing, I was worried that you two were going to fight. I didn't mean to listen in your conversation. I'm sorry, Shinji."

"How much did you hear?"

"I don't know... Everything I guess." The boy sighed. "I- if you mind me asking... Who was Asuka's best friend?" Shinji looked at her and the expression on her face. She was hopeful, it was obvious how much she cared about Tristan, no matter how much he ignored her. That look, as if she was preparing for the worst. Shinji hesitated, not quite sure how to respond. Should she know the truth, or was she still too innocent for it. That small voice, told him to hurt her, in truth he wouldn't be lying, but just telling her the hard truth that she would have to accept sooner or later.

"I don't know." He smiled. "I was trying to get a reaction from her."

"I see..." Madison looked away, and the boy suddenly realized that he may very well have said the wrong thing. "I'm sorry for eavesdropping. I have to go." Madison turn and left. Shinji then stood in the corridor, now alone, two girls already fleeing from him. He was awful, and the nagging little voice chided that he should have been upfront with her. Guilt and melancholy twisted the boy's stomach and he propped his elbow against the wall for support. After a few second to regain his composure, he looked at his hand against the wall, and hit it with the bottom of his fist. A weak effort, at best. Standing up straight, Shinji headed for the mess hall.

* * *

"Shinji, respond." The boy blinked, again in the plug of Unit-06, Shinji looked around the environment. Unit-05 and 08 were also active. Before them lay an array of different pieces of equipment on flatbed trucks, their armaments. Eight hours had disappeared in a blur. Shinji couldn't remember if he had slept at after the argument with Asuka, but here he was, the time between then and now have been closed in a flurry.

"Pilot Ikari here." Shinji answered. Misato made a slight grunt over the comm system. Before calling for a response from the other pilots.

"Alright," Misato began after the short role call. "as you already know, we went over the operation prior to leaving from Hamburg, but now I would like to review this leg of the operation. I believe our landing forces managed to put a significant dent in any defences that the UNIT bunker can provide. So it's just as simple as loading up battery packs, weapons, climbing the ridge and overwhelm any forces you come across. You three will spearhead the assault while the remainder of our mobile infantry will charge the bunker as soon as you open up the line."

"Simple, enough." Tristan commented.

"Not necessarily, reconnaissance has reported that the bunker is more fortified than the original MAGI computers estimated. In fact, you will be dealing with a lot of heavy weapon facilities along with tridents and conventional defences alongside."

"That sounds to be a little over our head, Misato." Shinji remarked.

"Stop being so lame." Asuka chided. "Most of those platforms are going to be as fragile as wet toilet paper. Just hit them fast and hard."

"Exactly, Asuka." Misato congratulate. The German girl smiled to herself proudly. "Weapon loadouts. Shinji, you will be armed with a palette rifle. Two more palette clips are under the thigh casing of your Evangelion. One will be released for you to reload after the current clip disengages. Take out targets are your discretion."

"Okay."

"Asuka, you'll be outfitted with an axe and palette gun. You will not have as much ammunition as Shinji, so use the gun sparingly. I want you to take out as many weapons platforms as possible."

"Sounds good." Asuka picked up her weapons and worked out the grip to carry to the weight of the axe while still carrying the rifle.

"Tristan, the rocket launchers weaved provided are equipped with armour piercing tips. Target the bunker itself and try and eliminate anything that will slow down the infantries advance into the facility. If you have an opportunity to knock down a Trident, do so, but remember, that you don't have that much ammo either." Unit-08 lifted the two long barreled weapons and adjusted its stance to deal with the weight and tighten the armed, almost to the point they were like stone.

"But the pile bunker in the left arm should come in handy then."

"Don't forget that the prog knife is still your most effective weapon." Shinji regarded his companions, armed as such, Shinji could have sworn that they were preparing to fight ten Angels at once. But there was nothing to say that they were going to fail. UNIT drew first blood after all. Their attack was righteous.

The trucks rolled out of the way just as the cable disengaged. A warped screech sounded as the engines turned to the energy in the battery packs.

"Eva, move out." Misato ordered.

"Once more into the breach, dear friends!" Tristan cried. Unit-06 charged forward, quickly followed by Unit-05, with the encumbered Unit-08 taking the rear. Shinji grit his teeth as he came to the incline of the ridge, and pumped his legs, trying to get as much distance up the ridge before having to climb. Shinji had the opportunity to be direct with his climb, meanwhile Asuka and Tristan were held back, having to negotiate though the shallower parts of the incline.

Shinji clutched at the rock face with his free hand, giving him enough support to get his footing and pull himself up and over the top of the ridge. The very send his feet came over the top, tracer fire exploded around him. As his HUD displayed the scene before him, Shinji knew he was in for a long fight. Seven tridents spread out in a mess of cannons, tanks, and turrets. In the distance he saw the clearing and the dome of the bunker, kneeling on top of the sturdy structure was the anorexic form of an Evangelion. The colour of sand and copper, and with a visage on it's head like firm conviction. This wasn't the same Evangelion that Shinji had faced in the northern coast of the NEC.

"Enemy Evangelion sighted." Shinji reported as he spotted his adversary raise a long rifle, steady it and fire a single shot. Shinji tensed, he slammed down onto the slope and started sliding down. The rifle shot exploded into the earth behind him. "Carrying high velocity rifle."

"Gotcha." Tristan responded. Shinji steadied his gun as he slid down the slope and pulled down the trigger, releasing a storm of bullets onto the numerous targets below. Two more shots rang out around him. Out of the corner of his sight, Shinji spotted Asuka rushing down the descent, bounding down at full speed. The screech of heavy machine gun fire came from the defenders, however the vicious gunfire simply arced harmlessly off of Asuka's AT field.

The shriek of a rocket came over the sky as one of Tristan's explosive rounds sailed into the gun attacking Asuka.

"That was mine!" She cried. The second lieutenant simply laughed as he crested the ridge. Shinji slammed down into the earth at the bottom of the ridge, and immediately lept forward, deploying a prog knife and swing at the first thing he saw, a Trident refocusing on the source of the missile. The blade swung true, striking the ammo containment below the monstrosities head, causing the entire suite to blossom in flames. Not missing a beat, Shinji loosed a burst of gunfire into the next Trident, causing it to pull attention away from Asuka. The girl roared and sank her axe down into the middle of machine, causing it to immediately collapse from the impact.

Shinji suddenly felt if someone had shoved him, and watched fragments of his right should blade explode in parts. He cursed, realizing that UNIT's sniper had gotten a bead on him. Another shriek from a rocket and the pilot jumped sideways, narrowly missing Tristan's second rocket. The enemy steadied herself and fired another shot. Tristan, could only twist out the way at taste and took a sharp intake of breath as the bullet pierced and practically tore a muscle out of his Evangelion. Two more rockets, one at a turret and another at the sniper. If only the turret at the benefit of being able to move.

Shinji couldn't get close enough, twisting, dodging, swinging, and shooting at the multitude of Tridents that swiped and shot at him. Meanwhile, Asuka continued to sunder buildings, while being chased by two of the machinations, giving short bursts to keep them at bay. Fences of bullets, walls of machines and gun emplacements, and the occasional tank under Shinji's foot. Asuka was making more progress than Unit-06 was managing, and Tristan just closed the distance and vaporized a Trident in a well placed shot. Three down, four to go.

"Mobile infantry has been deployed. Tristan, open up that bunker." Misato advised.

"On it! Shinji, cover me." The second lieutenant ordered. Raking gunfire across the two tridents he was handling, Unit-06 disengaged long enough to get closer to. Shinji looked back warily at the rifleman as it raised the rifle at Tristan. Immediately Shinji interceded between the two and emptied his clip at the target who stepped passed it and refocused on Tristan. However, the step brought it too close to Asuka. With a cry of triumph, Asuka brought the axe down on her foe's rifle before firing a burst of pallet gunfire into a nearby SSM.

The target stumbled back and immediately pulled a small pistol from a compartment in its thigh, and fired a shot into Asuka's chest. Unit-05's pilot cried out from the stinging punch and was bowled over when one of the pursuing tridents slammed into her.

"Asuka!" Shinji cried.

"Go help her." Tristan barked, snapping around and managing to slam a rocket into the side of one of the Tridents, causing it to crash into the ground and tumble. Whirling around, he charged for the bunker, spotting the gate just ahead. Shinji vaulted over debris and dumped his empty clip and slammed in the new one as it was offered, raised his gun, and fired a burst into the leg of the Trident that hadn't tackled Asuka. It turned to face him, and Shinji was at first greeted with its disapproval and then sharp pain as two bullets from the enemy Evas pistol struck home.

He charged at the Eva, firing a long burst in its direction. Dropping down, his target could not bear the weapon against Shinji. Just at the moment, Unit-05 positioned the muzzle of the pallet rifle into the middle of the grappling Trident's body and emptied the clip before shoving the hunk of metal off of her. The fallen Trident was directly in Shinji's path. Gritting his teeth, Shinji twisted out of the way, stepping to the reach of the still standing Trident. The monstrous metal paw swung, downwards, knocking Shinji off of his eye.

"Dammit!" Shinji cursed, he raised his pallet gun, but before he could fire, the Trident slammed it back down to the ground with its foot and planted another on Shinji's other wrist before he could swing the prog knife. Looming over Shinji, it steadied the gun under the serpent head and prepared to fire. Even at point blank, the shells would chew up his armour plating in seconds. The boy snapped his eyes shut, preparing for the white wash of pain.

A crash of metal and a screech of steel greeted him, but no pain. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see the parts of Asuka's pallet gun, tumble to the ground, mixed in with tracer fire from the Trident's cannon arcing off in the direction of the ridge. Asuka rose, having pitched the rifle and out of fortune, knocking the gun away from Shinji. Looking away from her work, she spied the UNIT Eva level its pistol.

"Not this time." Asuka growled and hurled her axe at her opponent. A single shot came from the pistol, smashing through her shoulder blade. However, her aim was still improving, as the lucky throw severed the Evangelion's hand at the middle of the forearm before slamming into the shoulder and throwing it back and down into the ground. The German girl, followed her prey, jumping and slamming her foot down into its chest.

"Asuka." Shinji whispered. Remembering the Trident bearing down on him, Shinji planted a foot on its belly and managed to lift it up enough to loose its hold on his gun. A quick burst to the turret and the following explosion ended the troublemaker. Shinji knocked the hulk away and rose. A cracking explosion came from the direction of the bunker gate.

"Opened up, Major, everything is clear." Shinji glanced sidelong at Unit-08 as it stomped on the head the final, now overturned, a full set of carbon flak spikes having been driven into it's drive train. One of his rocket launchers could have seen better days though.

"Perfect, makes this so much easier." Asuka growled, stomping her foot down onto the UNIT Eva's last functioning arm, but Shinji could see the fight was already drained out of her adversary as it feebly clutched her ankle.

"Asuka..." Shinji whispered again. Unit-06 scanned the battlefield. The Tridents were all disabled, the tanks lost their will to fight, and the weapons platforms were either disabled, destroyed, or out of ammunition. Even the fearsome Evangelion long shot was lying there, bleeding. The boy winced as Asuka yanked her axe out of the Eva's shoulder, causing another swell of blood. She positioned the blood slickened weapon in her hands

"Pilot Sohryu, the raid is over, I doubt that adversary is going to give us anymore trouble." Tristan advised. "Just keep it down so that it can't eject the entry plug. This way we can capture and pick this pilot's brain."

"This little son of bitch will definately not give us anymore trouble after I am through with him." She chuckled.

"Asuka, the battle's over, you don't have to do this."

"Shut up." Asuka lifted her axe over her head.

"Asuka! Stand down! Do not attack that Eva." Misato barked over the comm.

"It's the enemy, why shouldn't I kill this bastard." Higher the axe was raised.

"Asuka..." Shinji could feel the tension and took another step towards Asuka.

"Don't come near me Shinji, I mean it! I'll kill him!" Shinji froze when he saw Tristan approached, dropping the damaged rocket launcher.

"Tristan, what are you- ?" His question was answered as Tristan raised and aimed his weapon.

"Pilot Sohryu, stand down or I will be forced to fire upon you." The second lieutenant announced in an even tone.

"You wouldn't dare."

"I'm not bluffing Asuka, you hurt that pilot and I will have to use deadly force."

"Tristan, you can't be serious." Shinji turned and approached Unit-08.

"He is, Shinji." Misato warned.

"The NEC will kill you if you laid a hand on me, Tristan, don't waste yourself so easily."

"The NEC has given me the authority to do this Asuka, and I will if it means ensuring that another Eva pilot isn't killed."

"Authority?" Shinji was confused and scared. But he could see that the enemy pilot was just as scared if not more, the Evangelion was actually trembling.

"E-NERV Command has revoked the prohibition for the pilots to be assaulted or killed. Thank God they did."

"You'd try and keep the life of a member of UNIT over me, an NEC pilot?"

"More blood on our hands won't make a difference, good or bad. We need to show mercy to our enemy."

"The same mercy like they showed us when they attacked?" Shinji whispered.

"Shinji?"

"The same mercy to the people they tricked. The people who thought they were there to help stop an Angel, to protect humanity, only to be the first victims of this senseless war?"

"Shinji, you're not helping." Misato again.

"If you get in the way Ikari, I will not be held responsible if I have to kill you too." Tristan's tone was flat and even. No one had to tell him about how grave the situation was. He was doing his best to hide in growing pit in his stomach. The commander had expected such an outcome, something that would lead to his eventual alienation. "Two wrong don't make a right. We're here to stop a war, we need to kill as necessary." Asuka paused for a long moment, and Shinji winced, expecting the outcome to be bloody.

"I hate you." She growled and lowered her weapon but not before letting off the Evangelion just long enough to bring it back down. It's resistance diminished. Misato breathed a sigh of relief at the same time that Tristan lowered his gun. Unit-08 looked sidelong to the path of destruction.

"Major, this is Second Lieutenant, Pilot Nevril, the bunker is secure, enemy pilot is detained, infantry detected en route."

"Stand by for further orders." Misato responded. Shinji looked between the two Evangelions. Unit-05's body language was obvious, Asuka was trying to settle her anger. Tristan was still, standing and surveying the battlefield. There was an uneasy silence over the battlefield. No fires crackled, no joints moved, nothing, just utter silence. The kind which was filled up by the sound of the generators within the plug. The kind that grew insanely loud, or was it the generator?

Shinji spotted it on the horizon, at first having been so thin and far in the distance that it couldn't be detected by the human eye. Growing quickly, covering the distance at a rapid pace, the black transport plan thundered overhead, the roar softening the sound as it dropped off it's cargo. The space between landing and action was swift, as the form quickly stood up and brandished the large weapon. A positron rifle, or at least it should have been. It was heavier than any that Shinji had seen before, but the coloration of the Evangelion made it clear. His nemesis, the Eva that arose from the northern sea, had come again.

Unit-06 raised the pallet rifle only to have the weapon and the majority of the arm disintegrate in a barrage of white light. Shinji didn't even have the opportunity to cry out, the flash of pain passing so quickly that he was confused as to why he his trigger was not responding.  
Shinji's senses then picked up a grunt from Asuka as another barrage of weapon fire struck her, and the sandy Evangelion shoved her off. A curse from Tristan, the sound of a rocket discharge and the gunner elegantly twisted away from the projectile to fire another shot at Shinji, the intense heat searing through his knee cap. The pain finally registered, and the world around Shinji went white.

Asuka caught her balance and swung the axe downwards, punishments be damned in a situation like this. Coughing, the backplate of the Evangelion shot off an a white rocket arced over the forests. The pilot was able to escape as the head fell back away from the collar. Unit-05 snapped around, seeing Unit-08 lose a hand and gun to the remaining UNIT pilot. Shinji's Evangelion was on its knees, and somewhere in the background, her eye drums flooded with the cacophony of her pounding heart, she could hear Misato pleading with Unit-06's pilot to eject. Asuka's thigh, belly, and shoulder, burned as a three round burst found its way into her. Her fingers went limp, and the axe crashed onto the ground, her balance was lost and she was listing backwards. In one second, she engaged the ejection mechanism. The HUD went dark and not even the plug's fluid could soften the violent force of the evacuation.

Asuka disappeared from the communication channel, and Tristan growled another damning expletive between his clenched teeth. The bastard was fast and a crack shot. Shinji wasn't shaking it off fast enough, and Tristan watched as his ammunition was squandered trying to get a bead on his target while still avoiding oblivion. Disgusted, his threw the weapon to the ground and charged, his Evangelion's only remaining hand grabbing onto a progressive knife. The Evangelion twisted away, easily dodging Tristan completely and kicking at the exposed back. Twisting, Unit-08 fell onto its side, but it hesitated, the alterations finally causing a lockup between the limbs and the plug.

A final three shot burst excavated a hole into Unit-06's chest and it fell backwards at the knee. Tristan bit his lip. The UNIT Evangelion then released the positron rifle, clearly out of ammunition. It quickly turned to Tristan and drew a prog knife.

A kick to the stomach stopped his adversary's advance and gave him enough time to get onto his feet. Unit-08 loosened up. With only one hand, he didn't have much to work with, should the other pilot choose to grapple he was finished. He had only one chance. His opponent hesitated, a sense of inexperience was reflected by the mimicry of the pilot. He was stiffening, he wasn't ready to take on an opponent with a knife, unlike Tristan. Lowering his body, Unit-08 charged.

Aiming with the shoulder, he engaged the carbon flak launcher, a low blow that caught his target off guard before slamming into it, wrapping his wounded arm around its waist and bringing the knife down into the middle of the chest. His target couldn't reach his plug at this proximity, but the second lieutenant hissed with a feral ferocity he had not felt before, the pain of a blade penetrating the side of his throat.

After an excruciatingly long minute, the UNIT Evangelion finally went limp as the pilot ejected. Releasing his hold, Tristan dropped the dead thing and his knife and tore the blade out of his neck. He gulped down lung-full after lung-full of LCL, fighting back the tears from the pain. Opening one eye, he scanned the battlefield, four dead Evangelions now lay here. Nothing else remained.

"Second Lieutenant, area has been cleansed."

"Good work, return to base." Misato responded.

"No, I'm going to search for Asuka and Shinji."

"Return to base, Second Lieutenant, that is an order."

"But-"

"The area is cleared of enemy presence. We'll send a rescue team to go find them, your battery packs are almost depleted, so we need you to return and recuperate. Shinji managed to eject so they both should be okay. There is nothing that can hurt them in those for-" There was a pause. Chatter in the background.

"What's going on, major?"

"The second UNIT Evangelion you just brought down, the plug just landed on our side of the ridge. We're dispatching a capture team immediately. You need to return too." Tristan paused, looking towards the jungles. Misato was right, they would be alright. It was all a matter of them waiting.

"Be careful." He whispered, and headed back.

**_To Be Continued..._**

Author's Notes  
The Asuka/Shinji mobs grab their pitchforks and torches once again... Dr. Victor von Frakenstein must live on in me to explain why I keep doing this to you guys. As for the second half, this battle scene was the sketchiest I ever wrote, mostly because of how messy it gets. Some folks might not be too keen to as quickly that Shinji and Asuka were taken out of the fight, new technology and the arms race between UNIT and NEC would likely bring about new weapons thanks to information and prototypes found in the various bases that they have been raiding since the beginning of the fic.  
Now to answer some fan comments now.  
"Steve Vader": It does seem as though I let Asuka off easy with that three day imprisonment. The reasoning behind it cannot be revealed at this time as it would tell too much. I am dodging the shot it seems, but to be honest, I don't want show my whole hand until there is enough at stake.  
For "i laugh at you": yes, and expect to see a few return in the near future, and no, I am studying Fine Arts. 'Study' was too strong a word I suppose, more like figure out Misato's mannerisms to make her believable and sound like she really is from the reader's experiences.  
"umbrellaman": Misato's return is a mixed bag. By bringing her back, I start a slippery slope, yet at the same time, her arrival actually drives the story forward and kicks it into high gear. After pandering around for seventeen chapters and a year of preparation, it's time it gets moving, as "Steve Vader" suggested. I could have gone with someone else, but chapter seventeen needed true impact, and also, her value will come in later in the story, but I am confident that I will tackle Shinji and Misato's relationship at a future chapter.


	19. Captured

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 19: Captured  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

"Quit belly-aching." Asuka growled.

"Easy for you to say."

"I gave you ample warning."

"You just said, 'Don't say it', how was I supposed to know what you meant?"

"Well now you do." The German pilot shook her head and looked backwards to Shinji's plug, its side hatch open and LCL slowly draining out and onto the forest floor. She turned to regard Shinji again who was slowly bring himself back to his feet. "Good lord, I didn't hit you that hard."

"From my end of it-"

"Tristan should have been training you to toughen up. You need to be able to take a hit or two or else you'll be down after a single gunshot."

"What?"

"In our EVAs, stupid." Asuka shook her head, Shinji wasn't getting this, and probably wouldn't anyway. She scanned the forests around them. "Damn, I am amazed I was able to find you out here." Shinji regarded their surroundings also.

"So this is the Amazon Jungle?"

"Well it isn't the Congo." Asuka snapped back. "Course, it's drier than I would have imagined."

"Second Impact." Shinji answered.

"I know that!"

"I'm sorry." She rolled her eyes and cursed. Shinji frowned. "So what do we do now?" He asked, after giving Asuka a few moments to  
calm herself down. The red head looked skyward."I guess the first thing we have to do is find out who won the battle." She approached one of the trees and looked up. "If I can get to the top of this tree, I should be able to see above the canopy."

"What good will that do?"

"So I can find out whether or not Tristan was shot down or not, stupid. As far as I know, you, me, that sniper, we were taken out of commission. So we don't know whether or not Tristan won. If he did, the we just wait."

"And if he didn't?" Asuka looked at Shinji and then at the forest floor. A noticeable look of worry on her face. Shinji felt a small note grow in his stomach and he drew his mouth taut, trying to mask the emotional pain with that of Asuka's punch to the gut.

"Then we head south back towards the ridge. With any luck, UNIT hasn't driven them away. But we'll worry about that when we get to it." Asuka took a deep breath and jumped at one of the lower branches of the tree. Her jump came about four feet too short. Again she tried with only about an inch of difference. She cursed and looked to Shinji, still standing there, watching her. "Make yourself useful and help me up to that first branch." Shinji regarded the tree.

"That is too high, Asuka. What if you fall?"

"We need to use a high tree like this, and besides, I've been climbing trees since I was a child. Now help me up." Shinji approached and with his back against the tree, leaned forward and cupped his hands. "At least you know what to do." Asuka remarked. She put her foot into the cup of his hand. "Now don't get any funny ideas." She warned, leaning forward, planting a hand and her other foot on his shoulders, brining her chest close to his face. "Okay, now lift."

Shinji did so, pushing her foot upward and giving her enough of a boost that her hand grasped the branch. She laughed in triumph and grabbed it with her other hand. Quickly, she positioned herself, swinging her feet to get momentum and lifted herself up to straddle the first branch. She looked down at Shinji, far below her.

"If there is something important you have to tell me, then call for me. But it will take me some time to get down, so if you can do it yourself, don't call."

"I'm not a child."

"Debatable." She murmured and looked to the higher branches and gave a huff. This wasn't going to be easy.

* * *

"Of course it isn't easy." Tristan once remarked. He was hanging upside down from a branch in a tree in Berlin. "If it was, you'd be able to do it." This was the younger Tristan, a mean grin on his face as he regarded Asuka glaring up at him from below.

"That doesn't mean I can't do it!" She snapped back.

"Oh?" Tristan righted himself and sat on the branch. "Then come on up here and prove it." Asuka regarded the branches and spotted the lowest one. Smiling, she approached it, reached for it but was easily too short. She jumped, but still not enough. After the third try, Tristan laughed.

"See? I told you, you're too little. Just a baby."

"I am not a baby!"

"Well you were crying like one yesterday." He remarked. He was right, it was only yesterday that they had met, they didn't even know each other's names back then, and even though they antagonized each other, Tristan was the only one who actually talked to Asuka besides her teachers, and no doubt Asuka was one of the few people who had more than a few things to say to Tristan, let alone regarding him.

"It was rain, I wasn't crying."

"Sure." Tristan climbed to a higher branch and manoeuvred so that he was sitting directly above her on a higher branch. "You still can't get up here, so you're little and a baby." She leered at him and then looked around. There had be a way of getting a little bit higher. Asuka noticed something and then looked up at Tristan with a sly grin.

"I'll be right back." She headed to the other side of the tree.

"Sure you are. Go ahead and run home, baby!" He called after her. A few moments later he saw her returning, albeit very slowly and with great effort. In her arms she carried a cinder block and was moving it over the tree. Slowly she put it down into the grass and steadied it.

Tristan watched, intrigued, as little Asuka climbed onto the cinder block and from there reached towards the low branch, she jumped and managed to wrap her arms around the branch and clamber up onto it. Straddling the branch, she looked up at Tristan and smiled. He whistled, impressed. "You're small, but you're pretty smart... For a girl I mean." She giggled and stuck her tongue out at him. "You got a name, kid?" Asuka blinked, still in the middle of her raspberry. Withdrawing her tongue she smiled.

"My name is Asuka Langley Sohryu." Tristan smiled and pointed to himself.

"Tristan Wilhelm Nevril. Please to meet you." She nodded and started climbing to a branch that was level with his, albeit slowly. "Never thought you'd use that cinder block." He commented. She turned, having seated herself on a closer branch.

"That's cause I'm smarter than you."

"Yeah right. Girls are dumb."

"I'm smarter than you, though. I'm smarter than you so that makes you an idiot compared to other boys." She stuck her tongue out at him again, and he responded in the same way. Their first conversation together was childish to be sure, but their banter and arguing helped make them fast friends. His name calling was less of an affront as the days went by, becoming almost a term of endearment, just like her calling him an idiot.

That was the same day when Tristan broke his leg. Asuka quickly learned how to climb up into the tree, but not how to get back down. Tristan tried to help her by carrying her, but in the end, he fell and broke his leg. Thankfully, it was late enough that Asuka's father had come out to look for his daughter, and was willing to help the injured boy.

Asuka was quickly alienated at her new school as being worse that Tristan was, having broken the kid's leg. Tristan didn't have any friends however, so no one really cared, that Asuka stuck close to Tristan and vice versa. They were considered the quiet bullies on the playground. No one made fun of them always being together, for fear of having a limb or two broken by the two of them, even though it was a rumour based upon only one event.

* * *

Asuka smiled to herself as that kinder memory bubbled to the surface as she reached the highest point in the trees. She looked at the massive ocean of green leaves surrounding her. She slowly looked around, and felt a calm breeze that only helped to punctuate the abject silence. In a place where there should be so much life, now there was only silence. But she wasn't searching for life necessarily.

In the distance, Asuka could see the crumpled heaps of several Evangelions. Unit-05 and Unit-06 she could easily recognize. Then there was nigh decapitated sand one. And finally... Asuka smiled as she saw the blue Evangelion that had gotten the jump on the lot of them was now lying in a heap. The metallic form of Unit-08 was nowhere to be seen. In that case, he must have succeeded.

She quickly headed down through the branches. Her descent was obviously far slower, considering she was now seeing the height she was climbing down from. Tristan had gotten her to enjoy tree climbing a lot, but even he would have to be impressed with how will she had improved. But the joy faded while the rest of her memories came back. Including the day she destroyed their friendship. She was so selfish and she regretted that she couldn't take back what she did. That guilt it bothered her every night, even those she felt were better than any other. Looking down, she spotted Shinji searching for her. No doubt not being able to see her with the green plug suit on. She admitted that it looked awful, but the designers of Unit-05 seemed to enjoy being fashion-conscious. It was sad really.

A few more feet and Shinji finally spotted her. He waved; of course, she wasn't stupid enough to wave back. Her hands already full with trying not to drop to her death. But the more she thought about Shinji, the more her guilt mounted. He was pathetic to be sure, and it was his own damn fault. She didn't pity him so much as she felt bad for some of the things she put him through. Especially, her recent attempts to push him away. After all, it was completely understandable for him to try and be with her, after all, he didn't understand living in a foreign nation or such concepts as war. Asuka blinked.

"What do I know about war?" A rhetorical question. Shinji didn't hear it, and good that he didn't, or else he would have probably started making a run for the trees thinking she was going crazy again. Crazy. Like how she assumed that he had raped her. She swallowed and sighed. She hoped that horrible chapter of her life would quickly disappear. She closed her eyes for a moment, and felt her fingers slip off of the bark.

Asuka gasped as she snatched a branch before she started for fall and began catching her breath. That was a close call.

"Asuka!" Shinji hollered. She looked down at him below.

"I'm fine." She answered and started back down towards the ground, dropping the reminiscing and working on getting down to the ground. She reached the final branch and looked down. She needed Shinji's height to get up her, and now she realized just how far down the ground was. She swallowed.

"You okay?" Shinji asked, standing below her.

"I said I'm fine, stupid. Now get out of the way, I'm going to drop down." Shinji did so and moved out from under her. Carefully she worked her way until she was hanging off the branch. She took a deep breath, counted to three, and dropped. The next few seconds were a blur as she landed, immediately lost her footing and collided with Shinji. When she opened her eyes, she was lying on top of the boy, he blushed, eyes wide. Immediately she got off of him with a growl of disgust.

"You should have stayed farther back." She grumbled.

"If I didn't catch you, you might have broken your neck." Shinji replied, getting up.

"Don't expect me to sound grateful."

"I don't." Shinji dusted himself off. "So who won?"

"Tristan did." The boy nodded. He observed the small smile on her face and looked away. He was indeed glad that Tristan had survived, by now Asuka's joy was starting to bother him.

"So what do we do now?"

"We wait." Asuka responded and sat down on a stone. "As soon as the infantry captures the bunker they will start looking for us. Fortunately we're close to one of the entry plugs so it'll probably be fairly quick."

"About how long?"

"I'd say before sundown." Shinji looked skyward. He couldn't tell the approximate time, and there was no point in asking Asuka. That was probably the last thing on her mind. Shinji sighed and found a place to sit down across from the German girl.

"I know you really don't want to talk to me, Asuka..." She sighed but he paused only for a moment. "But it would likely make the time go by faster."

"It would, but..." She looked towards the forests. "It's complicated and..." She fumbled for the right words. "Shinji, do you think I'm a bitch?" The boy took a double take.

"What?"

"A bitch. Do you think I'm a bitch?"

"No, no! Of course not."

"Honestly?" He nodded. She wasn't convinced. Madison all over again. Damn. "What brought this up?" She shrugged. "Well, you're not a bitch."

"Then what am I?" Shinji looked skyward, he had to be tactful. He shrugged, at a loss. "I see..."

"But you're not a bitch. There's just no way to describe what it actually is. You're... Difficult... But definitely not a bitch."

"I see... Well, I'm sorry I've been so... 'Difficult'." Shinji shook his head.

"It's fine. Don't worry about it."

"But I am... This is really... Tough to explain."

"What about?"

"You, me... Tristan."

"Oh..." He looked away.

"No, I just want you to listen, Shinji. Please." He slowly looked to her, pursing his lips. There were so many things he could say, but he tried to hold them all back. He gestured for her to continue and she took a deep breath. "It's true that there is a lot of history behind Tristan and I. And even though I did a lot of damage to our relationship, I feel like a might be able to set it right. At the very least regain our friendship. Because, I envy the relationship you and Tristan have."

"However it seems you are alright for him to stay with you." Shinji interjected, accusingly. Asuka looked away.

"You might think it makes us close but, I can still feel that distance between us. I think he does these things just because he was our commanding officer, not because he wants to be my friend. But... He's been dropping hints."

"Hints?"

"Just the things he says. The way he says them... It's obvious that he means something by them." Shinji swallowed hard. "But even though he says them, he still keeps his distance. It's confusing."

"And?" Shinji beckoned, wishing for the worst possible thing she could say to be brought up at that moment.

"You know why am telling you these things, right?"

"Uh?" Shinji blinked, the question catching him off guard. Asuka was pensive. "Because I am so close to Tristan?" She sighed.

"I- I haven't been the nicest person, Shinji. Especially to you. That's why I asked if you thought I was a bitch."

"Which you are not." She nodded.

"I- I... I don't hate you... Really, Shinji... I don't really hate you." Shinji closed his eyes and considered the statement for a moment and nodded. "I guess it's the way you just apologize for things." She laughed, realizing how absurd it was. "It just makes things easier, but after all this time, I..." She collected herself. "I think... That we've become friends. Stupid, huh?" Shinji shook his head.

"It's not stupid. We've done a lot of things together. Hell, we used to live together. If we weren't friends..." He shrugged. "But yeah, we are friends." Asuka gave a small smile.

"I'm glad." He returned the smile.

"So what does this have to do with Tristan?" The red head looked away.

"Well... I'd like to know what Tristan is actually thinking, how he feels about me. Whether or not we're friends, or something more."

"More?" Asuka thought about it and looked skyward.

"Wow, it's almost been two years. But, just before we headed to our plugs for our final examination, Tristan approached me. He told me that... He loved me." Shinji felt the pit in his stomach deepen and wondered if this was going to lead to an ulcer.

"'He loved you'?" She nodded. "Did you feel the same way?" Somewhere inside him, he was now praying to any God that would listen.

"Well... At the time, no. When I realized that he was in love with me, I realized that I had an opportunity I couldn't miss. I knew that synchronization was based upon emotion, so I took a chance. A stupid chance. I laughed at him. The kind of laugh when you have pulled a cruel prank. I told my childhood friend that he was a fool. Not an 'idiot' or 'stupid', but a fool. I told him that I would never love him, that he wasn't worth love, or praise, or anything at all.

"When we were finally called in for the final examination... His synch ratio was zero. All so that I could pilot Unit-02. I broke his heart, Shinji... I felt so ashamed. Some nights I couldn't sleep because I thought about what I did. I really wish that Tristan hadn't come back, but now I am constantly faced with him and I can't bear to bring up what I did. Not even to apologize."

"You feel guilty for ending a good friendship." She gave a small smile and looked at the ground.

"My only friendship. Until I met you, I mean. It was wrong of me to play with his emotions like that."

"And why are you telling me this?"

"It's not just because I want to explain why I was always so distant from you, but also to explain why I'm asking you this favour?"

"A favour?" She nodded.

"If you can, find out how Tristan feels about me. Does he still hate me? And what did he mean by those hints he kept telling me?"

"What kind of hints?"

"Confronting me when I wanted to quit. Being there when I found out about my false pregnancy. Saying that he would protect me. Before you and Madison showed up at my door, he even called me 'honey', even though he denied it."

"So you want me to find out if you can still become friends again?"

"I want to know if he is ready for me to apologize to him. To tell him the truth."

"The... Truth?" She nodded. It would have been more straightforward if she kicked him in the balls, shot him in the belly, and twisted a knife into his heart. He knew what she meant... Shinji lowered his head for a moment. He then looked up and smiled.

"I'll do it." She smiled.

"Thank you, Shinji." She stood up. "I'll be right back." Asuka head for a more secluded spot. No doubt, nature was calling. Shinji probably felt similar, but the dismal feeling he was being overcome by was keeping him from everything else.

If only he had to the guts. That was really the only thing that was stopping him from saying it those three words he wanted to say for so long. It wasn't that she was the second choice to Rei, even though he was attracted to her, he was still pulled in both directions. But of course he was too scared to make a choice that he would regret. Indecision would lead to an answer. At least, that was the theory at first.

Now it was clear his strategy didn't work. Rei was gone for good and now Asuka was in love with another. The two people he had become closest to were now gone, as were the others he became close to. Perhaps, unconsciously that was why he wasn't always trying to get so close to Misato, for fear that he would lose her too.

The truth, the one meant for him, was staring him right in his face. There was no one in the world for him. Those who believed that he was, or those Shinji felt were for him, were simply destroyed, often by his own actions. Kaworu was especially the case. The only person to actually tell them they loved him, the three most important words in the whole world and Shinji killed the person who told him them.

Shinji bit down on his lower lip, trying to hold back his despair, but a few hot tears managed to roll down his cheeks. He frantically began to wipe them away. What would Asuka think if he was crying? Claming himself, he took a deep breath and sighed.

Only a cough managed to escape his throat as someone's arm snapped around his neck, forcibly holding him against him or her. Shinji tried to pull himself free until he felt the cold muzzle of a gun on his temple. The boy slowed his movements, his hand slowly moving to where his sidearm should have been. His assailant had been too fast and all he could feel was empty hair where the grip should have been. He was feeling his own weapon against his head.

"Get up." His captor ordered. Slowly he did so. "Keep you hands down." He swallowed. What was he supposed to do in this situation? His blood froze as he heard a branch snap from the direction that Asuka had left from. Damn, she could have gotten away. "Stop!" The assailant barked. Asuka stopped and stared at Shinji in confusion, but quickly spotted the pistol at his head. She moved for her weapon.

"Don't!" Shinji warned, and was punished with the arm around his neck tightening.

"He's right. Try it and he'll die." The hostage taker pulled down the hammer on the pistol. Asuka raised her hands away from the weapon.

"Down on the ground." Asuka followed the order, kneeling. "Now, remove your sidearm and throw it to your right." Asuka did so, a very brave look on her face as she tried to study her foe. Shinji was next to drop own to a kneeling position and then down onto his stomach. Asuka blinked as she realized their enemy was wearing a plug suit.

This pilot, this young woman, was the one Asuka managed to down. It had to be. But a chill went through her as she realized just who it was. Her dark hair was tied back in a ponytail, rather than what Asuka had remembered her usual hairstyle was. Her brown eyes were almost feral, likely from the adrenaline of the moment. Her kind face was now twisted into a look of dark determination and killer instinct. Even her freckles reflected a look of sobriety.

"Hikari?" The pilot raised her weapon and narrowed her eyes at Asuka. She studied the German girl for several seconds, and slowly her eyes widened.

"Asuka?" A weak smile formed on the two girls' lips.

"What?" Shinji mumbled from the dirt. Hikari retracted her foot from the boy's back. Asuka didn't care to notice.

"What are you doing here?"

"I could ask the same of you. But doesn't it seem obvious?" Asuka regarded her plug suit and her face was played with concern.

"Mien Gott, I almost killed you." Hikari shook her heard.

"I already knew what you were going to do. Sure I was scared at first, Hell, even when you did take out my Unit-07, I expected the worst. But now I am a little glad that it was you."

"What do you mean by that?" Hikari laughed and shrugged. There was a moment of silence and then Hikari practically jumped into Asuka's arms.

"God, I missed you so much Asuka, I'm so glad you're safe."

"Same to you. But..." Asuka stepped away from her best friend's embrace. "Why are you working for UNIT? Short of that, why are you a pilot?" The joy faded from Hikari's face.

"It's... It's complicated, Asuka. It really is." She closed her eyes and then looked up at her friend. "But now is not the time. We have to get out of here."

"What for? The rescue teams are on their way to retrieve us." Shinji added, dusted the dirt off of his plug suit. Hikari turned to the boy and shook her head.

"We're about to send in a second wave of Tridents into the area. This place is going to get far worse that it is. They're giving me and... The other pilot, a chance get out of the area and back to safety before they attack."

"To safety?" Asuka asked. Shinji on the other hand, was puzzled as to why Hikari avoided mentioning the name of the other pilot. The UNIT pilot gestured with Shinji's pistol at some point in the forest.

"To the north that way is a river. Even though the local bunker was lost, we still have lines of soldiers on the other side of that river. If we head there, we will not only be out of harms way but also out of NEC influence." She started heading towards the point she indicated.

"Wait a second. What do you mean out of NEC influence. Hikari, we are NEC pilots." Shinji observed. The girl stopped and lowered her head. Asuka noticed something and immediately went to her holster. Her sidearm was gone. At that same moment, Hikari turned around, levelling one pistol each at Shinji and Asuka.

"I know that Ikari. I'm sorry I had to trick you like that Asuka, but it's for your own good that you come with me back to UNIT. The NEC is trying to take over the world and I don't want you guys to be on the wrong side."

"'Wrong side'? UNIT attacked us first." Shinji protested. Hikari was both shocked and confused, but then there was a glint of understanding.

"I see, so they haven't told you? About the NEC massacre that occurred just before this... Thing... Happened."

"Third Impact... But why would Tristan's people do such a thing?" Asuka asked. Hikari just shrugged. "I think it was the fact that you'd ask those questions is why they didn't tell you. It's not safe to go back to Europe, Asuka. Once they're finished with you, they will just kill you."

"That's not true!"

"It doesn't matter Asuka." A pained look came on Hikari's face. "For your sake, you have to come with me to UNIT, and if not I will just have to kill you. Please don't make this anymore difficult than it already is. I don't want to hurt you." Asuka exchanged glances with Shinji. He shrugged.

"I guess we don't have any other choice." Asuka murmured.

"Thank you. Now... Hands above your head and start walking." Hikari barked. The class representative in her arose once again.

* * *

"What was in that syringe?" The pilot whispered as Misato entered the room.

"Thiopental sodium."

"What?"

"'Truth serum'."

"There's no such thing."

"We'll just have to find out... How are you feeling?"

"Why do you care?"

"Pilots are hard to come by."

"I won't join you."

"I didn't suggest that. So how do you feel?"

"Fine... Tired."

"Well I need you to stay awake. The sooner we can finish the conversation, the sooner you can sleep."

"I won't tell you anything. Regardless of how much of that stuff you pump into me."

"Were you trained to resist interrogation?"

"No, but there is no such serum that can make someone tell the truth."

"You believe it wasn't going to come up? Or was it your government?"

"My government?"

"United Northern Independent Territories. Isn't that what it is called?"

"Yes." The pilot, a woman, scrubbed her face.

"Still groggy?" Misato poured the girl a glass of water and handed it to her. The pilot stared down at it. "It's not drugged. Anything else in your system could cause a bad side effect." She wrapped her fingers around the glass but didn't move to drink it, only to stare at it.

"You're the pilot of the blue Evangelion?"

"Unit-09. Yes."

"It's unfortunate that the pilot of the other Evangelion was lost. The one who protecting the bunker before you arrived."

"She managed to eject before her Evangelion was destroyed." She took a sip of the water. "Thank you."

"You are very welcome, 'pilot'."

"I have a name."

"I am not psychic, so the only name I know to call you is 'pilot'."

"Call me, Ayanami."

"Ayanami... Well my name is-"

"I know who you are." The scarlet eyes looked up from the table at Misato. Of old, this girl had given her an uncomfortable feeling when she looked at her with those eyes. Even more so when Dr. Akagi finally showed the awful truth of her origin. But this one... She was different, there was something else behind her eyes, either it was the drugs or something else, but it was showing through. This was unexpected.

"Now that introductions are out of the way, what happens now?"

"I don't know. It depends on what you ask me?"

"What should I ask you about?"

"You're after information about Trine."

"Your military organization?" Ayanami nodded. In her mind, Misato was grinning like an idiot. Not only had the drug worked, but she was managing to catch everything this pilot was spouting out about. Certainly, her peers in the adjoining room were baffled by how effectively she was getting information. "What else would I ask you about?"

"Weapons and technology."

"The stuff you find?"

"The stuff we make."

"You mean the Tridents? I noticed that you make a very large number of them and throw them into any situation. It must take a very large population to manage that."

"No, that is the job of the MAGI. Trine doesn't feel UNIT needs a bunch of computers to decide how to manage their growth."

"Trine manages the MAGI, UNIT, and the military. It is the central government?"

"Bureaucracy only leads to greater trouble, especially when the populace desires decisive action in any crisis. Especially after what you people did."

"What?"

"You had one of your Evangelions attack a city in the north eastern part of our territory. Hundreds were killed."

"When did this happen?"

"Three months ago, early on into the formation of UNIT." Misato was silent, considering the answer.

"Are you sure it was our Evangelion?"

"It wasn't one of ours. We don't have a silver one in our cages." Misato's frown deepened, but she remained silent. "Are we done?" The major sighed.

"It would seem so." She stood up and left the room.

"Impressive." Tristan remarked in the hallway. He stood arms crossed, looking at the UNIT pilot through the slightly opened doorway. The girl glanced at him and quickly looked away before the door closed. "No training whatsoever for a situation like this, the serum didn't even change anything."

"It seemed that way. At least we have a better understanding of who is actually running UNIT. But a silver Evangelion?"

"No doubt someone else has been able to operate the Evangelions, therefore there must be a base somewhere in the Canadian region of North America." Misato shook her head.

"R & D and bunkers, that's all they asked from the Canadians. Greenland is the same way." Tristan gave a grunt and looked back at the door.

"Something is wrong with that girl."

"What do you mean?"

"She looks like she's supposed to be Japanese, but her eyes... She can't be an albino because the pigment in her hair."

"I thought about it the same way when I first met her." He looked at the major quizzically. "Her name is Rei Ayanami, a former pilot in Tokyo-3. You might think her appearance is strange, but it isn't, it's how she acted.

"When I was in command in Japan, Rei often functioned like an automaton, doing what she was told and rarely acting out. But she is being more natural now, the inflections in her speech, her diction, I don't think the drugs were the cause."

"Perhaps she grew out of it." The second lieutenant offered. Misato simply shook her head and sighed.

"It's nothing to get hung up on, we got some information, which is all we can ask for this early."

"And how are the searches going to find Asuka and Shinji?"

"That battlefield is very large, a few hours is nothing in something of this magnitude." Tristan looked at the floor. "You're really worried about them." She observed.

"I am their commanding officer and so it is my responsibility to ensure that they return. If they actually die out there, I will never be able to forgive myself. And then..." He hesitated. "They're my friends. But I suppose not after the threats I had to give." Misato put a hand on the pilot's shoulder.

"You did the right thing in stopping Asuka. Only folks your age can pilot the Evangelions and it is your generation that will carry the world on. She would have made an awful mistake if you hadn't intervened."

"It still feels like I alienated them."

"I can explain it to the two of them when they return. But know that I cannot make an promises."

"I didn't ask you to try and fix it, major. I..." He trailed off as Misato's cell phone rang. She picked it up. "Major Katsuragi... Yes... Yes? ... What? How could-? ... Yes... All right... Understood... We'll start preparing immediately." She snapped it shut.

"What was-"

"Shinji and Asuka have been captured by the enemy. They want to do an exchange. Rei for one of our pilots, and our second pilot for..."

"For what?"

"Unit-08."

**_To Be Continued..._**

Author's Notes  
Rei Ayanami fans rejoice! S+A fans start your murder machines! Just because Asuka has feelings for Tristan doesn't mean that Shinji is out of the game yet, however, just things are going to get even more complicated from this point on for their relationship, at least in Shinji's point of view. Another couple of characters have returned, to wet your pallets. And the conflict between NEC and UNIT takes several turns. Many of you already know who I am referring to when I mentioned the silver Evangelion. Say and rant what you will about it, but this was a decision I settled upon a long time ago and I know that I cannot weasel my way out of this one.


	20. Optimistic Apathy

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 20: Optimistic Apathy  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

Ten Tridents. Even if Tristan had all the weapons he could want, there was no way he could handle ten Tridents attacking him all at once. UNIT had thought out their strategy pretty clearly before calling Unit-08 out to play. He felt as though he was walking on eggshells. Just one bit of body language too much and everyone was going to be dead. Why UNIT didn't realize it didn't seem to make sense, but then, how could you argue with someone who is following a dictatorship called Trine?

Tristan spotted a truck approaching. NEC already provided everything they needed to deal with the exchange. Soldiers, an APC with their prisoner, mobile radar, and UNIT's generosity was not going to be taken for granted.

"Pilot Nevril, can you hear me?" Misato called.

"Loud and clear, major. It looks as though our hosts are not trying to jam up our communications at the moment."

"That's how it would seem. But everyone present is on full alert. We have our backs against the wall."

"Figuratively and literally." Tristan murmured. UNIT had decided that the deal would occur at the northern face of the ridge. They could provide Unit-08 as backup, but it couldn't bring weapons. Of course, they never specified that he couldn't be loaded down with carbon flak and progressive knives, however. Fat chance they would be of any help. All it would take would be one Trident to turn and shoot the truck that Shinji was in and it would be all over. "Okay, we know this is a set up, so what is the plan?" Misato gave an audible sigh.

"We don't have one."

"What?"

"We have just as much, if not more to lose if we do not follow UNIT's request. That means we know we are in a situation in which we cannot win should they decide they don't want Unit-08. We have to rely upon their word." Tristan laughed dryly.

"Even Shinji knew that they don't have a single honourable bone in their body."

"Regardless, as soon as we trade Rei for Asuka, we-"

"What the Hell? Asuka? I thought we were getting Shinji first!"

"The commander wanted us to retrieve Asuka first."

"I admit that Asuka is just as important as Shinji, but as a military asset, a pilot with a higher synchronization ratio is far more desirable to regain."

"The commander didn't give me a choice." Tristan growled in his throat. That bastard was doing it to them again. First it was letting Asuka go after the friendly fire incident without even a psychological analysis, and now this. What was the commander not telling them about Asuka?

"Alright, fine, so we take back Asuka then what?"

"We start going back up the ridge and pray that they do not shoot at us on the way." Tristan cursed. "I'm sorry, but that is all we can do."

"Alright. Guess we can only bank on their good faith." The UNIT truck finally reached its destination and turned its back to the Evangelion and the entourage.

Tristan was not at all surprised until he started noticing members on both sides climb out of their vehicles, save for the Tridents.

"Misato, what's going on?"

"UNIT ordered all personnel not driving the Tridents or Evangelion to disembark. They don't want any tricks. Their paranoia is understandable. They only have two pilots."

"Three." He corrected. "They wouldn't want Unit-08 unless they were going to use it. They have at least a third pilot available to use it along with the other two that they're going to start recovering after this fiasco." Misato was surprised that Tristan had made such a sound observation. "Major?"

"What is it?"

"Why is Madison in with the rest of the troops on the mobile radar?"

"We couldn't afford to send our more experienced specialists out there. UNIT may try and bomb the base during a ECM attack."

"Good Lord, are you people trying to kill everyone I know?" Tristan cried.

"That's not the point, Second Lieutenant, this is war!"

"The Hell you know what war is you-" Misato cut out the communication channel. The technicians around her simply stared at her as she slowly shook her head. Misato understood that Tristan was upset, but there was nothing she could do, given the situation. Tristan understood the context of UNIT demanding Unit-08, but didn't seem to comprehend that she was stuck following her orders. It felt as though the E-NERV commander had sent his lambs after the lion. They had made an irreparable mistake coming here, and everyone here was going to suffer for it. Misato just wanted to throw up.

Tristan, meanwhile, slammed his fist down onto the console, staring out at the unbeatable group of Tridents. Misato and the commander had willingly sent them all to die. Tristan closed his eyes and took a breath. They were facing the impossible, and now there was no way to get around it. If Misato's optimism pulled through, they would probably run back to NEC to face either a firing squad or medals of honour. If they died, they would get those medals posthumously. Tristan hated both outcomes, but here he was.

"Pilot Nevril, until after this is over, I am cutting you off of all communication channels. You are now just hearing my orders on a one-way frequency. You need to know what is going on at least."

"How charitable." Tristan grumbled.

"The UNIT forces have announced that they will now begin the exchange."

* * *

Madison and the other soldiers stood at attention, facing a much smaller number of UNIT soldiers and personnel. But it was clear they were heavily outgunned, looking up at the gang of Tridents. NEC must have underestimated the strength of UNIT in the area that was the only reason they could have been put into this situation.

The UNIT pilot was in chains and shackles, basic POW fatigues worn over her plug suit. She was quiet, not speaking a word, as was lead from the Personnel Carrier to an area where she was clearly visible. Across the perpetual no man's land between the two forces, the troop transport opened up and two soldiers pulled Asuka down.

The German girl had a look of anger and grim determination as she regarded the troops that were pulling her around. But it was the reaction to seeing the UNIT pilot that surprised Madison. Asuka's face lost its entire colour; her eyes became wide, and her jaw slack. It was as if she saw a ghost.

Looking at the UNIT pilot again, it did seem as though she was a ghost, with such pale skin and strange coloured hair. The look in her eyes was strange; the two pilots seemed to recognize each other. Madison, intrigued, began to wonder just who the UNIT pilot was to elicit such a reaction. But more than that, where was Shinji?

From the junior technicians position, she could see directly to the back of the transport truck that UNIT used to deliver Asuka, but no other prisoners were inside. What had they done with Shinji? Madison swallowed hard, and felt her mouth become even drier.

"Those handling the prisoners, on my mark, you will release your captive and allow them to cross to the other forces. Neither side shall interfere as the two captives return to their respective sides. The exchange is over after this and all NEC personnel are hereby ordered to return to your base of operations and prepare for the second exchange. We expect your full cooperation, and remember that any sort of violent action on your part will sentence your other pilot to death." Madison's brow furrowed in confusion and she glanced sidelong at her commanding officer. What about Shinji? Wasn't he going to be released also?

The girl looked up as she saw the exchange begin. One of the UNIT soldiers motioned for Asuka to start walking and she did so, slowly, watching the UNIT pilot as they crossed paths and following her with her eyes once they had passed. Once she was in arms reach, one soldier reached for Asuka and guided her towards them.

Something glittered in the corner of Madison's eye and she looked to the forests for the source. At first, it didn't seem like anything there. She was about to dismiss it as her imagination, until a small stirring of the leaves allowed her to catch sight of the outline of a person against the trees with a long item pointed in their direction. Ice crawled into Madison's heart as she realized that it was a rifle.

The reaction of everyone present was sluggish, obviously because Madison was someone who no one would notice. She was a kid after all. However, seeing the technician sprinted towards the red-haired pilot was not something that could be ignored. The soldiers on both sides immediately tensed up, expecting the tensions to burst. It cracked and burst, but there was no reaction.

The air was filled with confusion for a full second. Where were the wreaths of fire and the flying, molten shrapnel of the conflict? The sound of a NEC soldier crying out in surprise and horror was what tipped everyone to start down at the form of Pilot Asuka and Technician Madison. Both were lying prone, and a pool of blood started forming under them.

The nearest soldier, still a kid himself, stared the fallen pair and then up to his comrades and then at the enemy. Both sides were shocked into not even reacting. The air was as thick as water and everyone seemed to be drowning, just staring at each other in stark amazement.

Not a bomb, but words were what cut the silence, punctuated by the cough of automatic gunfire. The young soldier, overflowing with righteous fury, opened fire on the UNIT soldiers. From there all Hell broke loose.

The head of a Trident exploded as a volley of carbon flak riddled its head. The other nine quickly reacted by raising their guns, but already Unit-08 was upon them, seeming to make an effort to stomp on any UNIT vehicles it could manage to reach.

As gunfire blazed just over their heads, the soldiers on UNIT and NEC's sides alike immediately went to attend to their pilots. The UNIT pilot was practically hurled into the back of the truck as it lurched forward and started down the road like a bat out of Hell. Paramedics on the NEC side, rushed to the two fallen women. One of the rescuers didn't even make it to his destination before being dropped.

There was no cover, not for the soldiers, and it was the American Civil War with accurate, automatic weapons. The destruction was a blur as frantic men and women attempted to drag the wounded away, while at the same time, trying to save their own lives and find cover behind even the smallest outcropping.

All the while, Tristan simply stared at his targets, he knew what had just happened, but it had yet to sink in, still sliding on the surface of his mind while his body went into auto-pilot, the cumbersome Unit-08 seeming to pounce upon its foes.

The first thing to click in was that the Tridents were not functioning normally, and seemed to only shudder and swing its legs at Tristan, rather than utilizing the rapid-fire cannons that would surely nail down the boy's coffin. It was an observation that he couldn't wonder nor give answers to. Rending open one machine after another, he raced through his adversaries until less than half were no longer functioning.  
Next were the aches and the stinging sensation from the gunfire that managed the belch out of the Tridents. Third was the sound of Misato's voice as she screamed into the headset. Radio chatters and background noise at her end, muffled out her orders. Or perhaps it was that Tristan didn't comprehend what she was saying. In the boy's mind, he knew something had went wrong, but the notion that Madison and Asuka had been killed...

A stone ground inside Tristan's skull, signalling the concept finally solidified and became reality. There was no reasoning, no words to describe why he felt the way he did. What he felt, however, was white, hot rage. On Misato's end, she didn't need to hear Tristan's voice to tell that he was screaming. Unit-08 trembled as its hands grasped a Trident's neck so hard, the armour on the throat to buckle. Throwing its torso to the side, Tristan managed to cause the heavy monstrosity to crash down into it's back. Slamming a foot down on the base of the neck, he wrenched the head from the body and hurled it into the direction of another Trident.

The pilot of the target managed to duck down from the article, but was unable to react as Unit-08 slammed its body into it with enough force to cause it to rear back. The heavy fists cam crashing down on the machine's shoulders causing it to lean forward and down on Tristan. He shoved it away with enough force to cause it turn away. The Evangelion wrapped its arms around the Trident's leg and pulled hard, the screech of metal indicating the loss of connection to the limb.

A claw clamped down onto Tristan's back, pushing backward, he felt to the arm's force lessen and then he swung a first, connecting with the under slung cannon and causing it to reel backwards. Another shot of carbon flak caused the foe to fall down and stay down.

There was a pause, and Tristan snapped his eyes back to the infantry battle and saw both forces already beginning to withdraw. But the last two Tridents remained; ignoring the Evangelion they turned their guns towards the retreating NEC convoy. Tristan's reaction was too slow, as he saw the weapons prime. The wreath of fire that surrounded the Tridents' heads astonished the pilot. The two weapons slumped down. Tristan murmured something in confusion.

"Fall back to base, Second Lieutenant." Misato barked. Tristan hesitated, still trying to get his mind over what happened. What had happened? The boy blinked again, trying to come to terms with defeating ten Tridents on his own. How? He looked down at his hands, although he couldn't see it, he could feel the aching in his muscles. "Now!" He looked up and started for the ridge.

The rumbling thunder caused Unit-08 to cease its accent and turn to look to the north. A column of smoke slowly spiralling up into the sky.

What was going on?

* * *

The soldier had barely any time in order to react. The soaked cloth was forced against his mouth and nostrils and the fumes from the chloroform were quick to send him into a state of unconsciousness. His attack gingerly set down his limp form on the stone floor, and turned, crouching down and motioned for his comrade to climb up as well. Once inside the corridor, their pressed their backs against the wall and looked down both ends of the passage. The first gave several curt motions, his comrade nodded and they split up, moving as quickly and as quietly as they could.

The second of the two invaders glanced at a map penned on his hand, got his bearings, and quickly moved down several corridors before coming one hall paired by two soldiers. He peered around the corner for a few seconds before slipping back and considering his options.

"Hey you!" Someone barked. Looking back the way he came, the infiltrator spotted a soldier coming towards him. Not even considering the results, he raised his sub machine gun and opened fire, tearing his finder down. Immediately he heard his comrades that had been guarding the door start approaching, crouching down, he waited until his saw the kneecap of one of his enemies. Firing upwards at his head, his target dropped. The sound of surprise betrayed exactly where his comrade was behind the corner. Reaching around with the weapon, he fired a blind burst and heard his target's body hit the ground.

The gunner slowly rose and listened carefully, trying to determine if anyone else was approaching. Nothing. Turning the corner he stepped over the two bodies of the guards. He stopped however, and knelt down to feel the pockets of both troops. In the front pocket of the second soldier was what he was looking for. Considering the number of wounds in the man's chest, it was fortunate that this, the key to the door, wasn't damaged.

Sliding the key into the lock, the infiltrator smiled as the latch gave and he pulled the door open without any resistance. Halogen lighting made it very difficult to hide in the room, but whom he was looking for wasn't trying to hide, or if he was, he was doing a fairly poor job of it.

The boy was about sixteen, a teenager, but still very boyish for a young adult. His head was down close to his knees, his hands covering his ears. No doubt the gunfire startled him.

"Shinji?" The boy looked up and blinked. "It's time to go."

"Go? Go whe-" The kid stood up and blinked, startled by the vision of his rescuer, or so now he thought.

"Shigeru?" The man nodded.

"That's right. Now there's no time for waterworks we have to get moving."

"What? What happened to you? I thought you were dead." Shigeru poked his head out of the door of the room and glanced around. Before looking back at Shinji.

"Sorry, I'm afraid not. Now come on, we have to get going."

"To where?"

"Out of here. Now let's get going." Shigeru grabbed Shinji's arm and pulled him through the door and into the hall. Shinji blinked and stared down at the two slain soldiers.

"Y-you..."

"Killed them. That's what bullets do. Quit stalling Shinji, only after we're out of here can I start answering your questions." Shinji closed his mouth and looked away, his footfalls keeping in time, as he was lead through the complex. However, at just about every corner they had to stop and Shigeru peered around. Shinji remained silent, having noted the weapon in his rescuer's hand and the fact that he had killed three men; Shinji knew that his companion meant business now.

They reached the entryway Shigeru and his companion used to get into the facility. Nothing stopped them on the way, but Shigeru was aware of several close calls. He pulled open a vent for an air duct, set close to the floor and motioned for Shinji to enter. The boy did so and was soon followed by Shigeru who carefully pulled the vent cover back into place.

"Stay quiet and move slowly. We have to get to the landing pad." Shigeru rasped. Shinji did so, following his rescuer carefully through the vents. By this time Shinji's body started entering autopilot mode, these new realizations, this new environment and events spinning around him. He was confused and so fell into the best thing he knew what to do, follow orders and not make his thoughts known.

How common, and how base of him. Shinji chastised himself for showing such weakness, but at the same time, it was probably for his best interest. Shinji had been captured by UNIT and with how they were brandishing their guns, they were not so concerned about keeping their captives alive. At this point, a thread around Shigeru's through tied Shinji's life. If something went wrong, they were both going to die. There was no doubt about that.

Slipping away from conscious action to automation in following Shigeru and his orders, Shinji's thoughts lapsed into others things to fuss over. Fuss wasn't the right word however; rather there were more concerns. Hikari was alive, but not only that, she was a pilot. A pilot working for UNIT. Not only that, but she turned a weapon against her own friend Asuka. What had changed the class representative? Why would she betray her friend and former classmates? But then again, there were things that Tristan was capable of hiding from Shinji. Were there larger lies that he chose not to reveal?

Were Shinji and Asuka really going to be marked for death when the war was over? There didn't seem to be much of a point in doing so. If they wanted to ensure that the Evangelions could be used, they needed pilots who could be able to use them. But then again, Shinji and Asuka had lost their Evangelions in the middle of UNIT territory. Was there any chance that the NEC could recover them from enemy territory with only one Evangelion versus an almost limitless supply of Tridents? At least, they seemed endless. Every sortie, there they were, more Tridents constantly being sent after them. They were supposed to be a match for the Evangelions, but in the end they were nothing but fragile playthings.

Shinji grew concerned as he wandered just how many pilots that UNIT had available for its weapons. It couldn't be possible to gather than many people to fight for them. Could it? Compared the actual population that NEC recognized, it would seem as though Shinji was facing a giant. And now the only weapons that the NEC had were now in the possession of the foe. When and if Shinji managed to get back to the NEC, how much would be left with the advantage that UNIT would have?

Shinji never realized it until now, that the battle that had occurred not more than 24 hours ago, was going to make or break any chance for the NEC winning the war. With the failure of their gambit in the Amazon, Shinji now saw the defeat of the NEC as a very clear possibility. What would happen when that came to pass? Would anybody be spared from the invasion? Considering how they would manipulate the valiant into facing their fiery end with a UNIT harrier? It was a frightening prospect.

Shinji took a sharp intake of breath as he felt a hand come onto his shoulder. Coming out of his trance, he looked at the concerned face of Shigeru.

"You were starting to scare me."

"Sorry." Shigeru didn't respond, looking out of the wire mesh next to him and narrowing his eyes. Watching something in the distance.

"What is it?" Shinji breathed.

"We've got a snag. "

"What?"

"Our pilot isn't here. He's late... Damn, I knew I should have been the one to set the bombs."

"B-bombs?" Shigeru looked to his charge.

"If this facility isn't gone, then the NEC way station is finished." Shinji furrowed his brow. "No alarms, nothing. This place is going to have to go out like if it were sitting on an N2 mine."

"But, the people here..." Shigeru shook his head.

"We can't worry about that. My job is to get you out of here and ensure that the NEC isn't crushed here." Shinji hung his head.

"But we've already lost Unit-05 and Unit-06. We can't recover them. The NEC is going to be-"

"Hey." Shigeru shook Shinji's shoulder. "Don't say anything like that. It's not over yet. There are still some things we can do and try and win this. Don't give-" The clatter of a wrench caused Shigeru to stop his speech and peer out the ventilation grating again. He licked his lips nervously and slowly scanned the room beyond. A man in dark fatigues was standing at the far side of the room, and Shigeru immediately recognized him and smiled. "Took him long enough."

Removing the grating, Shigeru climbed out and then helped Shinji do the same. The man in dark clothing, a UNIT infantry uniform saluted them.

"Cut the crap, we have to get our bird in the air and out of here before the whole place comes down." The soldier gave a lopsided grin and nodded, not speaking a word as he motioned for his companions to follow. Shinji looked around and realized that he was in a hangar, large enough to house four harriers. The soldiers immediately stopped at one and quickly climbed the maintenance ladder to the cockpit. He smiled and gave a thumb up to Shigeru. Shigeru motioned for Shinji to follow him up the ladder. By this time, the soldier was seated in the front of the tandem fighter. The soldier then grinned at Shinji.

"Glad to see you again, Shinji. Don't make a fuss, we can do that later." Shinji recognized the voice, and felt a chill run down his spine. He looked from the soldier, now pilot and back to Shigeru. Who simply responded with a shrug and a motion to get in. Complying and holding his questions until another time, Shinji climbed into the back, onto Shigeru's lap.

"Is this safe?" Shinji asked as Shigeru pulled the straps across himself and Shinji.

"We could have gone with a helicopter, but we'd be outrun by any harriers. Okay, we're all set back here." The pilot nodded and sealed the cockpit before priming the engine. He pulled out a small remote and pressed it, signalling for the hangar doors to slide open.  
The aircraft pulled into the runway and immediately the radio crackled to life. The pilot responded, speaking quickly in jargon that Shinji didn't understand. There was a pause, and then a sound of surprise and an angry question from the control tower. The pilot laughed and started a vertical take off. An air raid sounded, but already the harrier was off the ground and heading away.

"How long do we have?" Shigeru asked the familiar pilot.

"About thirty seconds?"

"You don't sound too sure."

"I was... Delayed." Shinji was puzzled.

"Are you talking about the-" It sounded like distant thunder, and the harrier shook. Shigeru and Shinji leaned over to look behind the aircraft to see a fiery pillar rise from what was left of the base. The pilot chuckled.

"I guess they really did have an N2 mine in there."

"So what would you call this?" Shigeru asked.

"Mission successful. The base is gone and now we rescued the prisoner. The NEC should be able to get out of this mess now."

"Wait... Shigeru, are you and he part of the NEC?" Shinji finally blurted out.

"Well not exactly." The pilot looked back at Shinji, giving his lop sided smile. "Technically I should be a ghost." He raised the goggles up from his face and winked at Shinji. The boy became a little paler, but he smiled. What a pleasant surprise it was.

* * *

The second can finished, Tristan crushed it under his foot. Taking a breath, he looked skyward and into the starry sky. The red scar shone down on him, bathing the land in a haze of red, the silver moon glistening behind it. He chuckled to himself; he often got poetic when he was tipsy. He smiled at the marred sky and opened another beer. He raised it in the air, a toast to the heavens before taking a slug.

He sighed and brought his view back down to earth. Sitting on the concrete steps of his apartment complex, two crushed cylinders of aluminium in front of him. His head was starting to get hazy, his eyes wandered to the street, and he scanned the lonely avenue. Darkness was the only thing that inhabited the buildings on the other side of the road. Tristan raised his wristwatch and checked the time. Twenty, perhaps twenty-one hours had passed since the bloody event.

The Second Lieutenant closed his eyes and frowned, remembering the affair and the explosion of violence around him. Even in the most powerful weapon in the world, and there over fifteen people had lost their lives to the UNIT arsenal. Sixteen if- Tristan forced the notion out of his mind. It didn't matter. He did the best he could. At least, the NEC still had Unit-08. Even though they had to abandon Unit-05 and 06, they still had a fighting chance. He took another sip and looked down at the beverage. But not with an intoxicated kid like him.

Tristan prepared to throw the half-finished can away when he noticed a dark car roll up in front of the apartment. NERV intelligence agents? Unit-08's pilot rose to his feet and watched intently as the suit in the passenger's side stepped out, regarded him and then stepped to the back door and opened it. Intrigued, Tristan took another sip from the can. He then froze with the beer to his lips as a familiar person stepped out.

The suit gave a few curt words to Asuka, who gave a nod before walking across the grass to Tristan. The black car lingers for a full minute, before slowly pulling away from the curb and into the darkness. Asuka frowned at Tristan and his completion of almost half of a six-pack of beer. Tristan lowered the can from his mouth and gave a small smile.

"What brings you here?" He asked.

"Why aren't you at Tower Four?"

"Why? What for?" Asuka frowned.

"Because of Madison. She's-"

"In critical condition. I know. That's what a high calibre bullet does when it goes through your chest."

"What? How could you be so cold?" Tristan examined his beer for a second.

"Regardless of whether she lives or dies, there is one of two results. My presence doesn't mean anything to ensure she survives. That's the job of the doctors. I'm better of not worrying."

"So you're going to ignore her?" The second lieutenant sighed.

"What do you expect me to do? Mourn?"

"Well at least avoid getting yourself more drunk than you already are."

"I'm not drunk... Look, don't you think that I had a hard day too? For God's sake, I thought you both died down there. Hell, other people, human beings died to save your ass."

"And so you remember them by getting shit-faced. How noble." Tristan sat back down on the steps and finished his third beer, crushing it in his fist and smashing it with his foot.

"That's not fair. Do you evening realize what is going on? We lost two Evangelions, Shinji is nowhere to be found, he might be dead after that explosion I saw during the battle, and all you can do is rag on me about some clingy little New Zealander?"

"She's your friend!" Asuka cried. Tristan gave a snort. They both looked away from one another, but after a time, Asuka turned to face the lieutenant. "I know you didn't mean those things."

"Mean what?"

"About not caring about Madison. It might be the alcohol in you talking, but you're sort of right." She sat down next to him. "I guess... I guess there's no sense worrying too much about her."

"Damn, now that you say it, I sound like a total bastard." Asuka didn't respond, looking skyward.

"I shouldn't waste my energy worrying... But what if Madison dies. She saved my life."

"Then we mourn the loss of another soldier and we award her posthumously for giving her life to save an NEC pilot."

"That's too impersonal, even for you."

"Didn't you say that we should dwell on that?" Asuka looked away.

"What about Shinji?" Tristan raised an eyebrow.

"I thought you didn't care whether he lived or died. Hell, as far as I'm concerned you hate him."

"We made amends while we were waiting for rescue."

"Oh?" She nodded. Tristan contemplated this for a moment.

"So that means..."

"We're friends." Tristan frowned. "You don't seem worried about him." She looked down at her feet.

"Actually, I am almost sick over it. But, it's not something I should dwell on. After all, we're at war, and people die."

"You're still too calm." He commented.

"It must be the drugs. That and I am very sure that he's okay."

"'He's okay'?"

"Yeah."

"You're making me consider something that I will regret. Another beer." Asuka laughed, but it quickly subsided.

"God, look at us. People are dying all around us and our best friends are in danger, and we're just sitting here."

"Well what do you think we can do? We're the last two people in the NEC who can pilot an Evangelion, that of which we are left with one, and we are talking about a miracle for the sake of both Shinji and Madison. You just have to cope with the feeling of being helpless."

"So you drink in order to get over it."

"No, but for some reason I decided I might as well try it."

"Why?" Tristan shrugged.

"I have absolutely no idea." Tristan chuckled. "So they let you out pretty quickly." He observed.

"All they had to do was a couple of drug tests, treat a bruised wrist, and deal with shock. It could have been worse." She paused. "Were you scared?"

"Huh? Scared? About what happened?" She nodded. Tristan thought about it for a moment.

"Yes, I did. I honestly thought you and Madison had been killed. But I'm not really sure why I didn't react the way I should have. I just started attacking the Tridents, and I felt like I was just in the drivers seat. Misato thought I was going berserk even thought I was still in full control of Unit-08."

"I see... You seem proud of that."

"On the contrary. I scared me to realize that I could be so vicious."

"How so?"

"I dunno... I'd probably be more insightful if I was stone cold sober."

"Can't hold your liquor?"

"Three beers on an empty stomach. You figure it out." Asuka looked up at the sky.

"The stars are beautiful."

"If you could ignore that red arc... I hate it, it's just a reminder of how terrible the world has become." Asuka lowered her gave and stared at the darkened buildings across the street.

"What else could have happened? The world won't go back to the way our parents had it as kids." Tristan winced at those words.

"That's not what I meant to say. Actually... I just wondered whether it was worth humanity being reborn again, just face even greater hardships than before. Look around you Asuka, there is pretty much northing left of the world the Second Impact generation or we could recognize. There are now only relics of the United States, Germany, China, and every nation in between. If the human race continues on from this point, what they would know about those places were going to be the relics they walk upon.

"The only difference between this and the worst case scenario of the Cold War is that NERV has offered an alternative to anarchy."

"It sounds like you're giving up." Asuka remarked. "Are you that much of a hypocrite?" Tristan thought about it for a moment.

"You're right, I shouldn't be the one moaning about things. I can't change the fact they are like this. But then, you can't help but wonder what life could have been like."

"Or what it will be like in the future." Tristan smiled.

"I guess the best thing I can hope for is that I will have a little bit of my youth left by the time that happens."

"I think we both had our share." Tristan grunted in agreement. He debated whether he should start on a fourth can.

"So why did the service drop you off here rather than at your apartment, I thought they were competent enough." Asuka shrugged.

"Misato probably thinks I've had a traumatic experience and wants the pilots together I'd imagine. As if you are some stable base upon which I can pin all my confidence on." Tristan chuckled.

"She knows better than that." Asuka shrugged. Tristan picked up the last three cans and stood.

"Well, you're welcome to stay if you really need to." She considered the offer for a moment and then stood up herself.

"Maybe."

"Suit yo-" Tristan fell backwards against the door to the apartment. He groaned and touched his head.

"Are you alright?" Tristan gave a week laugh.

"The beers just hit me again." Asuka frowned. "Don't worry, I'll just have to sleep on the couch with a bucket near my head."

"But I was going to sleep on the couch." Tristan looked at her incredulously.

"Don't be ridiculous. Use one of the beds. I don't plan on being an asshole, nor am I going to ruin my shits by puking all over them. Anyway..." Tristan turned and opened the door to the building. He motioned for Asuka to enter. She did so and he followed in.  
Once inside Tristan's apartment, Asuka looked around. She jumped back as she noticed an avian head peer over at her from over the couch. Pen-Pen gave a perplexed grumble. Asuka blinked, clearly confused as well. Tristan closed the door and passed by her, telling the penguin to move before flopping down on the couch. He regarded Tristan for a few moments before looking back at a confused Asuka.

"Right, I guess I forgot to mention, Pen-Pen's been living with me for a few months."

"But... I thought only humans-"

"Guess not. Besides, Shinji mentioned seeing bluebirds the other day. Guess things are returning to normal." He then sighed and stretched out on the couch. Taking the hint, Pen-Pen turned off his program, climbed off the couch and wandered into the kitchen. Asuka watched him go and sighed. She heard Tristan fiddling with a trash pail and yawning.

"Yeah, normal." She approached the couch and leaned over the back. "Tristan, I've been-" She stopped, noticing that the second lieutenant had already fallen asleep. "Of course." She reminded herself. Standing up again, she looked around the apartment. Her mind was foggy from the drugs the doctors had pumped into her, and she was exhausted. Could she make it back to her apartment? She thought against it, better to pass out here than in the middle of the street.

Asuka opened one of the bedrooms and glanced around. The place was immaculate, and the only thing to suggest that it was Tristan's bedroom, was the closed laptop sitting on the office desk. Asuka stepped to the window and peered out and at the moon, the stars, and the red ribbon.

"Normal." She whispered. She removed her coat and draped it across the back of the desk chair and sat down on the foot of Tristan's bed, temporarily her own, it would appear. Her left hand was now wrapped in bandages from her injury today, and her right hand and left eye were still damaged. As if she had to check anymore that she was still slightly crippled. So many changes.

How could she have known that she would have died? That she was faced with a battle that she could not win. The completed EVA series. She frowned as something clicked in. At first she had ignored the statement and the reality she was surrounded by. How could she be piloting Unit-05, when that was one of the Evangelions that she faced at Tokyo-3? Even Tristan denied that the Evangelion series wasn't completely present during Third Impact. Then what was it that Asuka faced out there? I frightening thought crossed Asuka's mind. The only answer that came to mind was that those were Angels.

That hypothesis had to be impossible, thought, considering the fact that even Shinji admitted to killing the seventeenth Angel. That boy, Kaworu, the one who was in her dreams. But she never knew him. She had never met him. So how could she have known what he looked like? Asuka covered her right eye and stared out the blurry lens of her left. How?

Asuka sighed and leaned backwards onto the mattress. She was too tired to worry. She adjusted herself onto the bed and looked out at the sky again.

"Be careful, Shinji." Asuka whispered, before sleep overtook her.

_**To Be Continued...**_

Author's Notes  
This was a hard chapter to right. Probably because I had to fit two action scenes and some important dialogue, plus the reintroduction of more original series characters. You probably know who the pilot of the harrier is, so there really isn't any need for introduction, besides, Shinji's initial reaction seems kind of standard so there's no point in repeating it over and over again.  
The last section of this chapter was probably the most strange one for me to write, namely because once again I make the characters laugh at their predicaments, but also I just couldn't see either of them with any sort of serious angst. It could be that they have become jaded to the violence that's surrounding them. Or it could be the booze and drugs as mentioned before. Another excuse that I came up with on the fly.  
As for the drugs that Asuka was probably on, I would imagine it would be something like a painkiller or Valium, something to calm her down should she be suffering from stress. If I had someone bleeding on top of me and hearing gunshots over my head, I'd be kind of wired as well.  
More than anything, this chapter doesn't move so much as resolve scenarios and set up for new ones. I imagine that the next chapter will have a much stronger impact. Hope to see you then.


	21. Sun and Shadow

Disclaimer  
The series, Neon Genesis Evangelion, from which this work of fiction is based, is owned by GAINAX. Characters presented in this document that come directly from the series are also owned by GAINAX. "Lady Pheaura" owns Madison Timlitt. I own all other original characters.

**Evangelion: Primum Revelation**  
Chapter 21: Sun and Shadows  
_Written by T.S. a.k.a. "Kain Tempest"  
German Translations by "Steve Vader"_

"You've cleaned yourself up." Tristan observed, speaking in English.

"That's right. It's only temporary mind you."

"Temporary?"

"A short-lived image. No doubt I'll be dropping it soon after this talk. But there is no rush, we met halfway in order to keep this all a secret, right?" Tristan nodded.

"How long have you been smoking?" The man on the other side of the table took another drag, thinking.

"A few weeks ago... I know it's bad for my health..." He pointed to the menu.

"Let's not talk about the food. We have a lot to speak about."

"We do?"

"Well yes, of course we do. It has been more than a year."

"I didn't really notice. But you know that my trade doesn't allow me to tell anything of value."

"Of course, your secrets are safe. But what about the other parts. About the Commonwealth and your... Hobby." The smoker laughed.

"'Hobby', I like the name of that. Doesn't have fatality written all over it."

"So what had happened to you? How did you get here?"

"I took a plane... If you meant something else, well... I can't tell all of my secrets." Tristan shrugged. "So what is it you want to know?"

"Where is my pilot?"

"'Your pilot'? Possessive?"

"Scared for him." His lunch guest nodded.

"My comrade is with him right now. They're on the new side of the city." Tristan frowned.

"A hostage?" The man chuckled.

"No, they're old friends, so the fact that they're here too is rather benign."

"So what am I supposed to do to get him back?"

"There were a few inconsistencies I want to uncover and correct in my thesis. I got as much as I could as a member of UNIT, and as far as  
they are concerned I died in the resulting destruction of the secondary Amazonian military base. It also means they will not catch the contact interference I left their Tridents with.""You tampered with them?"

"You're skilled, but remember that your machine is only limited extension, if their weapons worked properly, you would have lost." Tristan leaned back and crossed his arms.

"I was lying awake all night wondering why I didn't die." The man chuckled and leaned closer.

"Are you sure that Miss Sohryu wasn't keep you up?" Tristan cursed in German.

"N-nothing like that happened!"

"Two-thirds of a six-pack can addle someone's memory."

"Enough with the teasing! Let's just get down to business." Tristan growled. The man's mirth faded and he knitted his fingers.

"You have enough influence to get access to E-NERV headquarters."

"It's a waste, it'll take years to clear it out."

"The main shaft and the lower levels were never flooded."

"What!" Noticing that he was calling unneeded attention, Tristan sank down into his chair.

"I want you to give my 'friend' a tour of the lower facility. Shinji will be with you... Once you're done, you can both return."

"But how do I explain how Shinji is with me or that I was granted clearance?"

"The commander has already given it." Tristan frowned.

"More tricks?"

"No, no. The commander is completely aware of what it going on and is completely fine with it. He knows that he has to listen to my demands or else one of his pilots will be come forever."

"You wouldn't kill Shinji nor I."

"He doesn't know me that well, however, when I mentioned what I knew, he was wrapped around my little finger."

"What did you tell him?"

"I gave the names of all the pilots and their residences. He was especially respondent when I mentioned Asuka's name." He grinned.

"Course, the mention of accidents to several officers and pilots was the last straw."

"I never imagined you as one for threats."

"The situation and urgency of my research has lead to more drastic measures than what I was previously comfortable with. But after a certain grace of God, I got used to the job of killing again."

"Though I doubt bullets would be involved."

"Of course not. A bomb, a car crash, a doctor's error." Tristan's eyes narrowed.

"You plan to kill Madison?"

"Neither the commander, nor you, know enough about me to make heads or tails of that, Lieutenant. If it means knowing everything about my 'hobby' then so it must be." Tristan shook his head in disbelief. "I take it the conversation is over?"

"You'll be eating alone, good day." Tristan got up and immediately left his contact.

* * *

It seemed obvious that teenagers were not those to be eyed suspiciously anymore. Teenagers joining the workforce and being a part of the reconstruction effort was now the norm. The education system became limited, however the method with which higher education could be achieved was still debatable. Whatever the case, a cap and work jumpsuit was enough to convince the security guard at the front of the facility to allow Tristan, Shigeru, and Shinji inside. 

The parking area was a mess of vehicles, construction equipment, and dump trucks filled to the brim with ground down cryostatic fluid. Tristan moved at a brisk pace, clearly agitated, while Shigeru followed suit, becoming all business as soon as the Second Lieutenant had approached them. Shinji was afraid to look around for any length of time for fear of being left behind. Even though neither Tristan nor Shigeru would let the pilot out of their site.

It was only upon navigating to the core elevators that the silence was broken.

"Are you alright, Shinji?" The boy was shaken out of his former train of thought and wore a foolish expression of surprise for a few moments. It faded and he looked to Shigeru.

"I'm fine. Why are we here, anyway?"

"Paying to get you back." Tristan responded. Shigeru nodded.

"Shinji, I don't work for the NEC, nor do I work for UNIT. I'm under private obligation to do what I am doing. As far as I am concerned, my part with NERV is officially over."

"So you quit?" Tristan inquired.

"How can I resign from an organization that no longer exists?"

"Then what is the insignia on your jacket?"

"A farce that a nation has used in order to take advantage of peoples' feelings about NERV and improve the image of the NEC." Tristan let out a long sigh, regretting that he had asked.

"So what are we going to do here?" Tristan nodded over to the former lieutenant.

"Our 'friend' here wants to take a look at some of E-NERV's secrets pre-Third Impact. Considering it is top secret, understand that telling about what can and will transpire here cannot be made known to anyone else. It is far too dangerous. Understood?" The boy nodded and Tristan turned away to study and size up Shigeru.

The elevator finally stopped and the trio stepped out. Shinji looked around and felt a small sense of déja vu, the walls were darker and the smell was different, however these corridors reminded him of NERV headquarters back in Tokyo-3. Shinji shuddered, quickly reminded of the darker memories, and another time when he was brought to NERV to plumb its dark secrets. He caught Tristan making a similar shudder.

"You okay, Tristan." The Second Lieutenant gave a grunt.

"Bad memories."

"Same." Shigeru didn't heed the two and started down the corridor, pulling out a flashlight and turning out just as the illuminated elevator was called away. No other lies in the corridor were running. Shinji swallowed, seeing his perceptions shrink and even more memories and nightmares appearing and lurking in his mind at the corner of his imagination.

"Lets go." Shigeru ordered. The two boys followed. Tristan looked sidelong at Shinji and sensed his unease.

"Claustrophobia?" Shinji shook his head.

"It's just that..."

"People died here." Shigeru answered, looking over his shoulder. "The personnel in the upper levels were slaughtered like animals. The entire place was scrubbed of human life." Tristan lowered his head.

"They weren't even given the opportunity to fight back." Tristan growled. "We were lied to." Shinji wanted to know more, but he was pensive, deep down he knew he didn't want to hear more and that it seemed to bother Tristan quite a bit. He bit his lip.

"Every one of the NERV facilities was blind-sided, E-NERV was no different." Shigeru reminded Tristan. He stopped at a door and handing the flashlight to Shinji, motioned for Tristan to help him open the door. Considering these doors were meant to slide open, it took a concerted effort by both to yank it open.

Shigeru took the flashlight from Shinji and swung it across the room. Control terminals, chairs, and a large main screen at the front of the room. The panels glowed faintly, auxiliary electricity still being pumped through the lower levels as the commander had promised Tristan. The second lieutenant frowned and stepped into the middle of the room, scanning the floor and looking under his boot to notice the slick LCL and the bullet casings.

"Seven people, twelve rounds for six, two for the very first of them... Seventy four casings in total." Tristan ran off the morbid math. Shigeru pointed the light at Tristan who looked up with a sombre look on his face. "E-NERV had assumed that the troops were here to help reinforce the facility, considering the news we had received about J-NERV going rogue. We allowed them to use our MAGI for an electronic attack. But as soon as that failed... We were so stupid, they had spread out to every key point in the facility." Tristan walked to the back of the room where a lonely puddle of LCL had settled months ago, he knelt down and touched it, lifting it up to his face. Shinji winced, disgusted. He really didn't want to remember what people had become during Third Impact.

"This the primary fluid control room. The entire facility was building like a complex hydraulic machine. But why?" Shigeru murmured.

"Over fifteen of the upper levels were designed to be a buffer to be flooded, a trap or method to slow down an Angel attack. The engineers here didn't even realize that started up the procedure merely sealed us off from the rest of the outside world. The central shaft was the only way out, and they were all over it."

"H-how do you know all this?" Shinji finally asked. Tristan looked up at him and then down at the puddle.

"This was my father. The chief engineer of the facility. E-NERV was like a child to him... The only one he felt he had left." Tristan pursed his lips for a moment, his face twisting as he fought back any sort of emotion. "After he started the procedure, he was executed and so was the rest of his team."

"Cradle and grave." Shigeru remarked. Tristan slowly nodded and got up. "You managed to get out okay." The spy observed.

"A collection of technicians and I fought our way out of the cages. It was all cat and mouse throughout the facility. Having to kill guards just to get more ammunition so that we could keep going. The troops were already gone when I got here. The only place they may not have gotten to was the comm-" Tristan was interrupted when Shigeru exited the room, and forced the two boys to hurry back into the hallway. They headed back to the elevator and proceeded lower. During the trip, there was no other mention of what occurred during the take over, but the look on Tristan's face said it all.

While Shinji hadn't seen the true carnage of his NERV, seeing the aftermath of E-NERV was almost overpowering. Executions and bitter betrayals. Tristan went from a test pilot to a soldier in moments. The boy had seen more than he should have. The reminder of what transpired here had also brought greater gravity to Tristan's movements. The boy stayed quiet and licked his lips.

The elevator stopped deeper now in the facility. Shigeru led the way, this time at a greater pace, as if excited by what they were about to find next. They came to another set of doors and once again started working them open. However, Tristan did not move. Shigeru looked up.

"Help me."

"This is the commander's room." Tristan commented.

"And this is where we're going, not help me." Shigeru growled, quickly beginning to lose his patience. Tristan stepped forward and assisted the spy in open the chamber. The soft blue glow from beyond was enough that Shigeru turned off the flashlight and stepped inside. The ceiling was low, in this rectangular room. The farthest half was made up glass walls illuminated by a blue light beyond, casting shadows on white walls and faux marble. A large desk dominated the far end of the chamber and a high backed chair.

Shigeru headed directly to the desk, meanwhile the two boys stopped directly in front of a collection of LCL puddles. Tristan gave an audible shudder and looked away.

"Tristan?" Shinji was now very worried about how much more of this his friend could take before having mental breakdown. Even then, the boy was also feeling sick to his stomach. Shigeru seemed oblivious, standing over the open laptop on the desk and frantically typing on the keyboard.

"I-I'm fine." He grated. "It's just..."

Leaning over, the former NERV officer scanned the information he summoned up on the screen. Another session of typing and his brow furrowed. He looked up at Tristan.

"This is where you died." Shinji looked up at Shigeru and then Tristan, shocked. The former captain shook his head.

"Wounded. I lost all memory of what happened after the three remaining technicians were gunned down and I collapsed. I saw..." Tristan scrubbed his face. "I don't remember."

"That's typical." Shigeru responded, returning to the keyboard. "It seems to be the case for everyone. However, I hear that some people manage to retain some of their memories of the event and whatever occurred between Third Impact and their 'rebirth'. They're as fragile as dreams, and sometimes haunting like nightmares." Shinji slowly nodded in agreement. Shigeru returned to the keyboard, typing in a few more things before folding the laptop down.

Shigeru stopped next to the two boys and placed a hand of Tristan's shoulder.

"Don't worry. There is just one place I have to go, now." The Second Lieutenant wearily shook off the spy's touch. Seeing how humanizing himself was failing, Shigeru continued out of the room, Shinji quickly following behind. Tristan lingered for several more moments, looking at the desk where the shots were fired. He never knew who his commander was, neither did Asuka, all things were delegated to lesser soldiers and the commander's seconds. But here, he was supposed to get a glimpse of the man who knew the truth and who betrayed the entire staff of E-NERV in order to save his own neck. The commander was the one who gunned down Tristan, but here he was again. He breathed an insult at the ghost of the former E-NERV commander and followed after Shigeru and Shinji, back into the elevator.  
As soon as the car reached the lowest level of the facility, Shinji was overcome with foreboding. Even when the doors opened into darkness and Shigeru and Tristan were already halfway down the corridor, he was still lingering in the car.

"What's wrong Shinji?" Tristan asked.

"There is something wrong... I- I don't know." Shigeru gave a growl of frustration. "This is starting to feel too much like when Ritsuko brought me to the lowest level of NERV." The spy looked back at Shinji intrigued.

"What did she tell you?" He asked. Tristan frowned at Shigeru, immediately suspicious; however, Shinji was more than willing to speak.

"She showed me what she called the 'truth' behind the Evangelions. There was more than one prototype, each of which she called a failure. And then..." Shinji trailed off, slowly shaking his head.

"Shinji has been through enough, let him go back up. I'll stick with you." Tristan offered.

"No. You are both coming with me, as per the agreement. That or else only one of us will be going to be leaving this place." Tristan grit his teeth and stepped in front of Shinji, expecting Shigeru to pull out a gun.

"My Evangelion is the only one we have, Shinji is of no military value... I am. You have your access to the base. Let Shinji go. Remember, that you both need me to leave this place without suspicion. Shinji can stay in the upper levels until we come back. Don't put him through anymore than he has to." Tension was pulled to the point of breaking between the two, and Shinji's worry was now stacked up against the possibility that Tristan was going to be killed. The hardness in Shigeru's had completely replaced the kind young man who had accompanied he and Asuka so many months ago. What had happened to change him so drastically? To take on such a rough and cruel disposition.

"Go then, Shinji." Shigeru stated. "Hurry up." Tristan looked over his shoulder and nodded to Shinji, confirming it. The boy backed up and called the car back and stepped inside.

"We won't be gone long." Tristan assured him. Shinji nodded and the doors closed. As soon as they did, Tristan heard the flashlight shut off and was hit hard into the stomach and then into the back of the neck. He growled, curling up on the floor after the assault. Shigeru turned the light back on.

"You had your time to be a hero, brat, now get the Hell up and ahead of me... Now!" Shigeru barked. Tristan rose and did what he was told, the flashlight coming on as soon as he had gotten to his feet. Tristan started down the corridor with Shigeru close behind.

* * *

"So what happened back there?" Tristan looked way from the bus window and looked at Shinji, sitting next to him. 

"Shigeru found what he wanted to find and we came back up to the surface." Shinji frowned, regarding the dark bruise on the back of his neck. Tristan was quickly aware of the look and lifted up his collar. Shinji slowly looked away.

"What happens when we get back to Hamburg? Isn't everyone worried?"

"Everyone is... Especially Asuka."

"What?" Tristan looked out the window.

"She may not look it, but she is trying to not look upset after everything that had went on during that bad operation."

"What happened?" The second lieutenant sighed.

"While you and Asuka were captured, we managed to acquire one of their pilots and question her."

"Her?"

"That's right... They threatened to have both of you executed if their pilot wasn't returned and we didn't surrender Unit-08 to them. First we were to trade their pilot for Asuka. Apparently, they didn't want to give her up so easily and tried to kill her with a sharpshooter."

"Is she alright?" Shinji had turned around and panic was on his face. Tristan slowly nodded.

"I'm not sure about Madison, though?"

"Why? W-what's happened to her."

"She's in the hospital after taking the round that was meant for Asuka." Tristan closed his eyes and collected himself. "We managed to recover all that we could and fled after getting Asuka. It was decided that we would cut our losses, even if they meant leaving you to die. I guess in that way, we owe your rescuers." He gave a weak chuckle, which Shinji didn't respond to.

"Is Madison going to make it?" Tristan looked back at the window, a little embarrassed how he tried to turn away from such a serious subject. He considered his answer for several long moments, watching the scenery breeze past. Finally, he looked back at his roommate.

"I don't know." The conversation went dead for several minutes; Shinji stared down at his shoes, while Tristan lost himself in watching the landscape.

"You've been checking on her, haven't you?" Tristan looked back at Shinji in surprise, but expression quickly became dourer.

"No."

"Why not? You are your friend, aren't you?"

"There's no sense in worrying. Either she lives or dies. My being there doesn't change that fact."

"How can you say that?"

"Did you hear anything I said back in Berlin? I've seen people die before me and I know for a fact that I cannot bring them back from the dead. One day Shinji, you will realize that we..." Tristan took a breath and stared up at the ceiling of the bus. "You will realize that even with the Evangelions, there are things that we simply cannot change." He tapped the glass, indicated the dark line across the sky, the universal symbol of their new world. "We are powerful but we are not gods."

"That doesn't explain why you would abandon why you would abandon Madison like that."

"I didn't abandon her. They are more things that I have to deal with over the life of one foolish girl." Shinji slowly shook his head in disbelief, but Tristan didn't falter.

"Why would you say something like that?" Tristan considered the question for a few moments.

"A long time ago, before the NEC was formed, this nation was nothing more than a few camps of people combing the beach looking for more people being reborn. Madison was one person who didn't seem to stand a chance. Almost drowning in salt water, shock, and trauma that must have carried over from just before Third Impact. I kept watch over her every minute I could. At that time I had chosen to forget all the misfortune that had happened so recently in my memory.

"She pulled through, and I was so glad. But when I discovered that she had chosen to join NERV..." He shook his head. "I was furious. All this effort and hope I had invested and she was going to throw it away."

"What is wrong with trying to help others?"

"NERV's role has changed, you know that, Shinji. We are no longer about saving the world. We're about war, something I had believed that we had put far behind us after Second Impact. Now Madison has joined us and is dying, which is the last thing I ever wanted for her. I wanted her to live on beyond this time of troubles...

"All she's done now is reminded me how futile it is to protect others. All we can really do is try and live on our own terms. I think that is the other reason why I am piloting an Evangelion now."

"To live? What is your other reason?"

"I spent my entire life to become an Evangelion pilot. I wasn't about to allow fourteen years of my life go up in smoke."

"You sound a lot like, Asuka, in why she had hated me."

"I'm not concerned with who is better, really. Just that I get to do what I was born to do is enough for me."

"Born to do?" Tristan lowered his head, but the look on his face was serene.

"Even though my father was supposed to have custody over me, he refused to take me and allowed me to be taken by the state. Then the  
Marduk Institute came in... And so I was fated to become a pilot.""It's not my place in asking, but why didn't your father want you?" The peace escaped and Tristan's face fell into the storm of emotions.

"My three older siblings died during Second Impact and my mother died in childbirth only a few months after. My father's world was shattered, when I finally met him, all I found was a shell of a man, someone who I never wanted to be." Shinji slowly nodded, empathizing with his commanding officer. "I never really knew him, the only thing that connected us was blood. Other than that we were simply strangers who worked in the same place." He gave a faint smile at Shinji. "And what about you? You are the son of the commander of Tokyo-3's NERV base."

"Well... As far as I was concerned, my father had abandoned me. I always hated him for what he did to me, especially when he finally brought me to him only to pilot the Evangelion. I felt like he regarded me as only a tool and not an actual person. Even worse when he put me in horrible scenarios, like having to fight my own friend... I- I can never forgive him for that." Shinji swallowed.

"Sounds like our fathers should have had a beer with one another." Shinji laughed a little and smiled. He nodded in agreement, and Tristan was relieved that he could remove that air of gravity that was passing between them.

"So what is going to happen once we get to Hamburg?"

"The commander has already given us a story to go by in order to cover your return."

"The commander was in on this?" Tristan nodded.

"Simply put, a covert team was sent in and recovered you, I was to retrieve you from Berlin in plain clothes."

"A half-lie then." Tristan nodded once more.

"Everything that happened in Berlin however, stays between us, Shinji. No one needs to know what occurred, not Septerra, not Misato, not Asuka, no one."

"I understand."

"Good." The Second Lieutenant looked at his watch and sighed. More than an hour was left in the trip. He looked out the window again. "I spy with my little eye..."

"What are you talking about?"

"I Spy... It's a game, haven't you heard of it?"

"Yeah..."

"Well we still have a lot of time to kill. So why don't we just do that. Besides, our conversations have a penchant of becoming rather sombre. A game of I Spy might change that a little. Okay?" Shinji nodded. "Okay, I'll go first..."

* * *

"Asuka? You're still here?" Tristan's face was a mixture of surprise and dread, Asuka stood at the doorway, hands on her hips like the wife that was waiting up for him. The scenario could best be described as getting caught going bowling on an anniversary. Looking over Tristan's shoulder however, Asuka's anger subsided into confusion and surprise. 

"Shinji! What? How?" She turned back to Tristan.

"The reason why I wasn't here in the morning."

"What are you talking about?"

"Spec ops got me out of UNIT." Shinji responded, just before Tristan could answer the same thing. The boy smiled to himself, he knew how to spin a story so that it was true, after all, they were agreeing on.

"What?"

"The commander sent me to get Shinji from Berlin where the special operatives who got him out of the enemy lines is stationed."

"That sounds fishy."

"Well Shinji is here now, and that is at most what we needed to worry about at the moment. We're back together." Asuka looked away from Tristan and at Shinji. She gave him a faint smile.

"I'm glad to see you are safe." She then turned and went to the kitchen. Tristan gave Shinji a kind look and a small smile. The boy blushed and looked down at his feet. The Second Lieutenant left him and headed after Asuka to find out what she was up to.

"Why are you sticking around?" Asuka looked at Tristan, rather surprised. "Sorry. That didn't come out right." Asuka shrugged.

"Pen-Pen seemed like he could use the company and I didn't want to be alone."

"Well you had done so earlier."

"I have, but I really don't want to go back to my home, it just feels to empty. Besides, the only reason I was living some place else was because of the misunderstanding between Shinji and I. But really, it is prudent to have all the pilots in one place."

"Are you suggesting you want to move in with us?"

"Move in?" Shinji stuck his head into the kitchen. Asuka nodded. "I'm alright with that." Tristan sighed.

"I'd like to say the same thing, however this apartment was only intended for two people."

"Well there is the hide-away under the couch." Asuka offered.

"If you're suggesting that you're going to sleep on the couch, then you can take my room."

"After you've used it? Yuck!" She teased, sticking her tongue out and smiling.

"You're both gun-ho about this whole thing." The second lieutenant shook his head. "Well, then I am going to have to speak to administration in order to get everything straightened out, meanwhile we all have to figure out who is sleeping where." A mischievous grin swept across the German girl's face at Tristan's mention of the subject.

"Well I found Tristan's bed to be exceedingly comfortable." She said in the most suggestive voice possible. The comment caused both of the boys to begin reeling. Tristan began sputtering as he tried to explain to Shinji that it wasn't what he was thinking off. Asuka grinned to herself; boys were so easy to get a reaction out of.

Despite the fright that Asuka had given the two of them, Shinji felt a lot better about things. Even though the morning was so dark and gruesome, it seemed as though Tristan had truly made peace with his life. In fact, it seemed they all, in that they were all smiling, laughing, and talking, like good friends. But in the back of his mind, Shinji couldn't help but be bothered by the questions still surrounding NEC and UNIT.

Shigeru, Hikari, and E-NERV. Shinji wanted to know what they were all about. He knew that they had something to with himself, Tristan, and their newest roommate, but also with the Evangelions. They were almost artefacts now of an age that had only recently occurred, but was now a distant memory, farther gone than even Second Impact had been.

**To Be Continued...**

Author's Notes  
Looking back at the chapter and the original series, I kind of feel aware that Tristan has taken over the position that Misato had, once upon a time. Tristan owns the apartment, the original caretaker of Pen-Pen in this new age, the mentor and emotional rock for both Asuka and Shinji, and also is getting involved with the mysteries of NERV. In fact, the similarities seem downright absurd.  
Of course, even with the still nameless commander's cover up, Misato will probably start sniffing around, as is her nature. Expect Misato to make more appearances as she starts her sleuthing. And don't worry, I haven't forgotten about the bad situation that the NEC is in nor the fates of Rei and Hikari, their connection to things is probably going to be much farther in the future however, depending on what the next angle of UNIT and NEC's senseless war.

And unfortunately, I had indeed written myself into a corner last chapter concerning the battle. I needed the situation to seem extremely bad for NEC, all the more to reflect how bad their position has become after a botched operation. However, I think the first section of this chapter is a way of explaining and/or patching the trouble with the "Invincible EVA".

I am also very glad how well taken an ACC like Tristan been by my readers. In a series where ACCs are often seriously frowned upon, to have such a positive reaction is very promising. I could go on about the origins of Tristan's creation, but you seem more interested in where he's going rather than where he's been which makes me very happy.

I hope you enjoy the chapter and look forward to the next one.


End file.
